(To listen to the podcast as you read, and to hear the song, Love Letter, at the conclusion, click here.)
As a teenager I remember getting a letter in the mail from a girl in another town that was saturated with perfume and had a lot of hearts written all over it. I suppose you could call it a love letter, but I think it was more of a “crush letter.” A real love letter from someone is often saved and reread over and over to remind you how they feel about you, especially when they are so far away. It is supposed to keep your love from growing cold as you are separated by the miles.
While we are still on this earth, the love letter that God has sent to us is in the form of a book, it is what we call the Bible. 2 Peter 1:3 says that God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. Godliness is simply defined as a life that centers around God. The Bible is one of the best gifts God has given to us and it reminds us of who He is and how He feels about us.
In May of 2003, I wrote a song entitled, Love Letter. It is Jesus’ reminder to us to read and reread His book, His Word. This song was recorded in 2009 and was given more of a country feel. It can be found on an “album” called, Proof in the Mirror, which is a collection of 11 songs that helps us hear the truth of God’s Word communicated through Jesus’ voice, singing these songs over us.
The Story Behind The Song, Love Letter.
In the first verse, Jesus tells us that He left a love letter for us, and asks us if we have read His words. It’s a simple question that can carry a big punch because most Jesus followers don’t really read or study God’s Word; they wait for someone else, like a pastor, to explain it to them.
As a pastor, I’m passionate about helping people realize how powerful and life-giving this love letter really is. I don’t want my friends to be intimidated by its size or complexity. I want to lead others to be life-long learners, readers and followers who study this love letter together in community.
This first verse goes on to say, “Every day of your life is written in my book, I know every Word.” This is a reference to Psalm 139:16 and it says this:
“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
Even though God knows the future, we aren’t locked into some fatalistic existence where we have no choice or voice. When we think about our future from a Biblical perspective, we can envision Jesus standing right next to us in our future, helping, guiding and providing. So many people are fearful about the future because they imagine themselves alone, incapable of dealing with the hardships that are bound to come along. Our God has good plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29). But this doesn’t mean there won’t be pain, struggle, hardship, and even persecution. It means that even in those difficult parts of life on earth, He will turn what the enemy of our soul means for evil into a blessing for us.
Jesus Calls Us His Own In This Song.
This is a reference to how God sees His people in Isaiah 43.
Isaiah 43:1
But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.
The verse ends with a promise that we will never be alone. This theological concept of the constant presence of “God with us” is so important for us to hold onto as tightly as we can. Romans 8 teaches us that we are overcomers and conquerors, and that if God is for us, who can be against us?
Verse 1
I have left a love letter for you
Have you read the words?
Every day of your life is written in my book
I know every word
I will hold your future in my hands
In my heart I’ve written such good plans
To care for you, in all you do, and tell you you’re my own
So understand, my heart, my plan, you will never be alone
Verse 2 shifts from this love letter that’s written to us to Jesus’ spoken word, in this case, Jesus is constantly singing His love songs over us. It’s the truth of His written word in the form of heavenly songs. This is what Zephaniah 3 tells us, that He rejoices over us with singing. These love songs tell us that God is always revealing great things to us. He is constantly working to set our spirit free from the bondage of lies and to bring healing from pain. These love songs are what I imagine all these songs on this project “Proof in the Mirror” to be- love songs that are sung over us so it would set us free.
As Christians, Jesus is our rabbi (our teacher), and we are his disciples (learners) and we’re working to imitate Him in every way. The revelation of His character will help us imitate Him. If we want to truly understand what’s in His heart for us, we have to read His Word, this love letter, that has been written down by men who were inspired to write by the Holy Spirit.
Verse 2
I have sung a thousand love songs over you
Have you heard the words?
Every night the music of heaven plays for you
It tells you what is true
I will show you great and mighty things
I have come to set your spirit free
To be more like me, you’ll have to see, my faithfulness and love
So understand, my heart, my plan, just read my words from above
The final tag helps us understand that the way we live is “writing” a response letter back to Jesus. This is another reference to Psalm 139:16 where it says our days are written in His book. In this song, Jesus says, “I read every word” of the letter that we are writing through our life. This is a reminder that Jesus sees everything we do. On one hand, that feels encouraging, and yet humbling at the same time. When we love others well, it’s Jesus that feels the squeeze of our hugs. If we love Him, we will obey his command to love one another.
Jesus leaves us with a few questions of accountability at the end of this short song. He asks us,
“Have you read the words of my love letter?”
He asks us,
"Have you even heard of my great love for you?”
Jesus’ love for us motivated Him to lay down His life to save us.
And we can read about this love in the pages of His love letter…
Here’s The Final Tag
The way you live, is writing a letter back to me
I read every word
I have left a love letter for you
Have you read the words?
Have you even heard of my great love?
You can find it in the pages of my letter
You can hear it in the phrases of my love songs
You can find it in the pages of my letter
When I wrote this song, I wrote the music with a finger picking style, but Jeff, the former student who was helping me produce this recording adventure, wanted to put a country flare on it. The song took a whole new turn, a whole new life and flavor once it was “countrified.” The steel guitar added a really fun element to the sound.
While this song points us to God’s written Word, His love letter, the next song on the album will emphasize the Holy Spirit’s whispers and Rhema spoken Word.
So, may the words of this love song, point you back to reading the written words in His love letter.
We invite you to join us this week for our Sunday Worship Service in the Dome at 10:00 a.m.
You can also live stream our service on Facebook and YouTube at 10:00 a.m.
