Too weak and ill to move or even to talk, Mr. Harlin lay quietly in his hospital bed. His hearing, however, was very good. He heard the squeaky wheels of the supply cart rolling up and down the hallways. He heard the elevator “beep” as it arrived at his floor, and he recognized the footsteps of his wife and daughter as they walked toward his room. He also heard the moanings of other ill patients in that hospital.
One day as Mr. Harlin dozed in his bed, a new sound reached his ears. A woman was humming as she walked down the hall toward his room, and Mr. Harlin recognized the tune she was humming. It was one that he knew well, and most of you do too. In fact, I’ve heard Mr. Harlin’s little grandson sing the song in Sunday school. Can you guess what that tune is that even very young children love to sing? If you guessed, “Jesus Loves Me,” you are exactly right!
The humming continued as the caretaker came into his room. She never said a word; she just hummed her encouraging little song the whole time as she busily straightened up his room. Mr. Harlin repeated the words in his mind:
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.
Jesus loves me, He who died,
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin;
Let a little child come in.
Jesus loves me, loves me still,
When I’m very weak and ill;
From His shining home on high,
He will watch me where I lie.
Jesus loves me, He will stay
Close beside me all the way;
If I trust Him, should I die,
He will take me home on high.
Mr. Harlin was feeling very weak as he had been quite ill, but he was so glad to know the Lord Jesus, who is strong and who loves him. Day after day, he was encouraged by this little song that the caretaker hummed as she went about her duties in that hospital. Now that he is well again, he still remembers how the humming caretaker was such a cheer to him.
Don’t you think that caretaker was shining for the Lord Jesus without ever speaking a word? It’s always nice to sing the words to “Jesus Loves Me,” but if you can’t remember them, you can always hum the tune. Many, many people will remember it and know that it tells them that Jesus loves them.
ML-09/14/2003