Do you remember singing the song “Jesus Loves Me” as a child? Even some people who aren’t Christians are familiar with the lyrics to the song. “Jesus loves, me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.”
I saw something yesterday that made me pause because it seemed backwards from what I expected. It said, “Jesus knows me, this I love.” When you pull back and ponder it for a minute then put the two together, it’s overwhelming. You see we’ve grown up hearing Jesus loves me, but the thought of Him knowing me…it changes things. Our culture has used the word love to mean so many things it seems to have lost some of its meaning. We love our dog, we love ice cream, we love a new song on the radio, and we love our mothers. Do we really feel the same about ice cream as we do our mothers?
When you say someone knows you, it can be a bit uncomfortable at first. If someone knows you, really knows you, then there are no secrets. They know the good, the bad, and the ugly. When they know it all, they’re forced to make a decision to stick around or walk away. Many of us have been wounded because of people who have gotten close enough to really know us then chose to walk away. Jesus; however, is different. He knew us before we were known by anyone else.
Jeremiah 1:5a says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” Can you imagine? Christ knew us from before our first breath. You might say, “Sure, Susan, He knew me when He formed me, but I’ve done a lot of awful things since then.” Hebrews 4:13 tells us “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” God knows it all, even the things we hide from the rest of the world. He knows. Well, now that changes things. So, if He knows everything, then surely He wouldn’t choose to love us. He’d just walk away like the others, right? Wrong! Romans 5:8 tells us “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” If you don’t believe me, look it up and read it for yourselves. Even Satan can’t compete with the Word of God.
No matter what lies you’ve been fed in the past, it is plain and clear in black and white. Jesus knows you AND He loves you. He isn’t going anywhere because of anything you’ve said or done. He will “never leave you nor forsake you” according to Deuteronomy 31:6, Deuteronomy 31:8; and Joshua 1:5. He’s in this thing for the long haul. When someone makes a marriage commitment to you, they pledge to love until “death do us part” but when Jesus makes a commitment to you, it’s for all eternity. It never ends.
Today, no matter what happens in your day, remember not only can you sing “Jesus loves me, this I know” but you can also declare Jesus knows me, this I love! Not because you want it to be true, but because His Word declares it to be true. HE said so!