Jesus loves me is a familiar song to many. In this post Mark Arnold describes how God used it to assure his fatherly heart that his autistic son is loved by our heavenly Father. May it assure your heart as well.

Jesus loves me this I know,
For the Bible tells me so,
Twenty-somethings 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.

Ever since James, our son who has almost no speech communication, was a tiny baby, I have sung over him that much-loved old chorus. Over the years, he has been able to join in through words and sounds. We adapted the words as James grew, replacing “little ones” with “teenagers” and more recently, with the “twenty-somethings” version above.

Often, as we sing or say these words together, joy spreads across James’ face. Perhaps it is the familiarity of the words. Perhaps it is the time we are spending together. I also believe that Jesus joins us in that space, that his voice is added to ours. He ministers to James as we sing, and I believe that James responds to that.

James and I recently had the great privilege of being part of a BBC 4 Sunday Worship recording that was broadcast on November 17, 2024. The service was focused on and presented by autistic people.

We were recording in the middle of the day, so I wasn’t sure how James would respond. He did magnificently, his voice joining mine as we said the words together, James using words and sounds to take part.

As we listened to the broadcast, James didn’t particularly respond to his voice on the radio. When it cut to a beautifully sung version, James looked up, and a joyful smile spread across his face. I smiled back, tears welling in my eyes.

Many years ago, I talked to someone about my worries about James being unable to speak. She told me that his voice would be heard across the world. I didn’t know what to make of it then. Today I have a glimpse of what God was saying through her.

BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship is heard by 2 million people. The blog I write is read across the world. James is seen, heard, and known by millions. He is seen, heard, known, and loved by God.

Yes, Jesus loves him.
Yes, Jesus loves him.
Yes, Jesus loves him.
The Bible tells me so.

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Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash