I often sing this hymn to DJM as I rock him to sleep; I typically sing the first and second stanzas in English. Part of the third stanza recently came to mind, reminding me of Jona. A quick search told that the hymn text first appeared in a novel by the author’s sister; she wanted a song for a Sunday School teacher to sing to a boy who was dying.
You can read more about the hymn’s history and impact at hymntime.com.
Now I can sing these simple, vital truths with even more understanding and conviction!
Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.
Refrain:
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
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! Loves me still,
Though I’m very weak and ill,
That I might from sin be free
Bled and died upon the tree.
Jesus loves me – He will stay
Close beside me all the way,
Then His little child will take
Up to Heaven for His dear sake.
Words by Anna Warner, 1860
Refrain and music by William Bradbury, 1862
Very sweet story, now that'll make three songs I can "tear up" with..... :-}
ReplyDeleteI checked it also and found this interesting quote:
ReplyDelete'After more than a century, "Jesus Loves Me" became the number one spiritual song in the world. It has been translated into more languages than any other song.'