“I am so glad that Jesus loves me
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves the;
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.
I expect all my young readers have sung many times the words of this beautiful hymn, but I wonder if the love of Jesus means as much to you as it did to an old lady whom I met in a hospital ward.
Another patient in the ward pointed her out to me, telling me that she was quite blind, and not only so, but she was deaf and dumb as well. Unable to see those who passed up and down the ward, unable to hear the conversation that went on around her, unable to tell others of her needs and requirements, her condition was sad indeed. In fact, there was only one nurse in the ward who could understand her at all.
I had come to speak to the patients about the Lord Jesus, but what could I do for this one who could neither see nor hear me? I pressed into her hand a small lavender bag with a text attached. She could not read the-comforting lines from the Word of God, but she would at least find some little comfort, I hoped, from the fragrance of the lavender.
The nurse had said that the old lady could sometimes understand if the letters of the deaf and dumb alphabet were made on her right hand, her sense of touch ebling her to spell out the words. I decided to try to speak to her in this way.
Taking her right hand I spelt out J-E-S-U-S; immediately the tired face lit up with joy, and the old gray head nodded with delight and gratitude as all that “Jesus” means, came home again to her heart.
Then L-O-V-E-S was spelt out in the same way.
The last word Y-O-U by the old lady herself. Her face was radiant as she excitedly formed those three letters to make me understand that she knew what I wanted to tell her.
Deaf, dumb and blind, but she was richer far than many who have the use of all their senses and faculties, for she knew the love of the Lord Jesus as something very real and precious in which she found comfort and delight. As I looked at her face transformed for a few moments by the thoughts of the love of Jesus for her, I knew that I would meet her again in the presence of the Lord, when her blind eyes will be opened to see the Saviour Who died for her, and her mouth opened to sing His praise.
How many of us are enjoying the love of the Lord Jesus like this poor afflicted sufferer? The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians, says,
It is a happy day for us when we learn that the Lord Jesus loves us individually. He loves you, dear young reader, almost as if you were the only sinner in the world who needed His love. He came from heaven out of love for you, He bore the crown of thorns and the laughter and mockery of wicked men out of love for you. He endured the cross and the awful sufferings of those three hours of darkness, and last of all He gave Himself out of love for you. Is it not wonderful that the Lord of Glory should die such a shameful death, shedding His precious blood for such undeserving sinners as we are! Is He not worthy of our love and our obedience?
Some can say with John the Apostle, “We love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:1919We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19). Can you?
ML 11/22/1942