Almost everybody loves a good love song. We often hear the message of a song more than we do that of the spoken word. On this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to remember the first love song that many of us ever learned. It was written in 1860 but has stood the test of time because its message is eternal, and it has been touching hearts through the ages.

Jesus Loves Me

Jesus loves me!
This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak but He is strong.
Jesus loves me!
Loves me still,
Tho I'm very weak and ill,
That I might from sin be free,
Bled and died upon the tree.
Jesus loves me!
He who died
Heaven's gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.
Jesus loves me!
He will stay
Close beside me all the way.
Thou hast bled and died for me;
I will henceforth live for Thee.
Chorus:
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
--Anna B. Warner
 

This well-loved song was written by Anna Warner as a poem to be included in a fiction novel that she and her sister Susan wrote together. More specifically, it was written to bring comfort to a dying child in a scene in the novel. The book titled Say and Seal might have been fiction, but the message certainly was not.

Just as a note to my fiction-writing friends, two things amaze me about these verses being included in this novel. First, the power that fiction holds to convey spiritual truths cannot be denied, and there are those who will read fiction before they will pick up a Bible. The other amazing thing is the lasting effects of writing. If these sisters had not written this fiction novel, then we probably would not have this beautiful children’s song today. So, let that be an encouragement to you to write on. Your words matter!

Read or sing this song again and let the truth of it sink deep in your heart then sing it to someone else who needs to hear a love song.

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” (John 15:9) (KJV)