“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”
“Cristo me ama
Bien lo sé
Su palabra dice así
Que los niños son de aquel
Quien es nuestro amigo fiel
Si, Cristo me ama
Si, Cristo me ama
Si, Cristo me ama
La Biblia dice así”
This is a hymn that Sunday Schools have been teaching kids for over 100 years. As a kid, I learned it in English and American Sign Language (ASL). As a teen, I learned it again- this time in Spanish.
Our God is a creative creator. He transcends everything we think we understand- color, language, our relation to space and time… And we, humans, are all created by Him as a reflection of His glory- what a crazy beautiful picture! I can’t wait to join my brothers and sisters singing all the praises to Him all the time in Heaven. What does that look like to you? I imagine glorious chaos. So many voices, so many languages, all lifted as one- it’s going to be loud!
So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord–who is the Spirit–makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
But why wait? We pray “Your Kingdom come” every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9). His Kingdom come doesn’t look or sound like a bunch of “Jill clones” (that would be non-glorious chaos). His Kingdom sounds like ALL of His children. This is one of the reasons I get so excited when we bring in a song in Spanish, and why some of the praise music we play before and after service is in other languages. This is a small glimpse of what we will get to experience in Heaven!
I’m also so thankful that God doesn’t need language at all in order to understand us. Sometimes I feel so filled with His joy that the feeling surpasses all words! The Bible says in Romans 8:26, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” How reassuring it is to know that when we are struggling in life and can’t even come up with words to cry out, the Holy Spirit knows! When our hearts cry out to Him, He hears, and He understands.
I’m going to close with lyrics from another song, this time from Hillsong. We’ve sung this as a church at Covenant Grove, and it can be found on any online music service (YouTube, Spotify, etc). It’s called This I Believe (The Creed), and covers a lot of what we hold true as followers of Christ. My favorite version to listen to right now? Oui Je Crois (Le Credo). The power and truth of Jesus, laid out in verse!
I believe in God our Father
I believe in Christ the Son
I believe in the Holy Spirit
Our God is three in One
I believe in the resurrection
That we will rise again
For I believe in the Name of Jesus
Oui je crois en Dieu notre Père
Oui je crois en Christ son fils
Oui je crois en ton Saint-Esprit
O trinité divine
Oui je crois à la résurrection
Que nous vivrons à jamais
Car oui je crois, dans le nom de Jésus
The God who created you wants to hear from you. What are you communicating to Him? Are you preparing your heart for His Kingdom? It’s a new year! Find a new way to glorify the Lord.