An electrifying three inch rain fell during the annual elementary dance. The call was made and across ankle deep water, painted toes and glittery sandaled footed students made their way to the storm shelter. Children accustomed to gym shorts and sunshine, lifted ankle length dresses to cross rising waters in the parking lot. Familiar emergency drills throughout the school year resulted in an organized evacuation of the cafeteria, but the outcome of the activity could have never been anticipated.
Life lessons unfolded as students comforted fellow classmates, and frighten peers embraced each other in support. Faculty and staff, operating beyond their teaching credentials, counted heads and assured their children were in safety. Built in the day when construction was considered an art, loud vibrations echoed the solid underground structure. In the midst of the sounding thunder outside, seeking warmth against a corner wall, stood one child shivering in her sleeveless spring dress. Fear of the storm overwhelmed her party world.
How does one comfort a child in the unknown? Words of “It will be all right,” and “we are safe down here,” didn’t stop the flow of tears. Recalling a friend’s story of her distraught three year old grandchild, and comfort found in a childhood song, quietly the words began to form.
“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little children in His arms, we are weak but He is strong.”
Yes, with the softness of His touch, in the middle of her frightening world, He comforted her with His peace in the midst the storm.
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Calling upon the Name of Jesus, this I know,
We are weak, but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.
“When you pass through waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. For I Am the LORD your God…Your Savior (Yeshua, Jesus) because you are precious in My eyes, and honored, and I love you.” Isaiah 43:2-4 (ESV)
“There is no fear in love; instead, Perfect Love drives out fear.” 1 John 4:18 (HCSB)
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