I am Jesus’ Little Lamb – What Does This Mean?

I am Jesus’ little lamb,
Ever glad at heart I am;
For my Shepherd gently guides me,
Knows my need and well provides me,
Loves me ev’ry day the same,
Even calls me by my name. — “I am Jesus’ little lamb” LSB 740

After a very long labor, my late wife Kris delivered our twin sons. While she enjoyed a very much earned sleep, I took each boy, one after the other, into my arms and sang, “I am Jesus Little Lamb.” When their sister was born three years later, I took my daughter into my arms and sang it again. Our family would sing this song together many times over the next few decades.

Day by day, at home, away,
Jesus is my staff and stay.
When I hunger, Jesus feeds me,
Into pleasant pastures leads me;
When I thirst, He bids me go
Where the quiet waters flow. — “I am Jesus’ little lamb” LSB 740

When our children grew up and began to have our grandchildren, I dusted off this hymn again. The first time I held each of my grandchildren, I sang this song to them. Should more come along, I plan to continue this little tradition. Who knows? Perhaps God will give me a decade or two more and I will be able to hold great-grandchildren and sing them this song.

While we were preparing for Kris’ funeral, my daughter found a playlist on our Alexa instance. On that playlist was “I am Jesus’ Little Lamb.” The pastor missed it during the funeral, so it wasn’t sung on that day. The next day was Good Shepherd Sunday at church and we did sing it then. I could almost her then — and now — Kris singing the last stanza to us,

Who so happy as I am,
Even now the Shepherd’s lamb?
And when my short life is ended,
By His angel host attended,
He shall fold me to His breast,
There within His arms to rest. — “I am Jesus’ little lamb” LSB 740

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

One thought on “I am Jesus’ Little Lamb”

This song gave me comfort and helped me fall asleep when my brother was struggling with cancer. He has since been healed. I also sang it to our grandsons when rocking them to sleep. I am so thankful I was able to learn it from memory during my Sunday school days.

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