“In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. 'Lord,' he said, 'if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.'” Luke 5:12 (NLT)

When I was a kid in Super Church, as our children’s ministry was called, we sang a song that went, “The Lord is mine and I am His; His banner over me is love!”

Maybe you sang this song, too, if you grew up in church. Maybe you still know the hand motions accompanying it and would happily give us a full demonstration — and to that, I say, “Let’s do it!”

But to be honest … I was 40 years old when I had to ask Google what “His banner over me is love” actually means.

Have you ever seen the opening ceremony of the Olympics, where each team carries their country’s flag? Or perhaps at a local college football game, have you watched the team mascot run out on the field carrying a massive flag with the school logo on it? In ancient times, armies used banners like these during war to identify who they were fighting for or where their allegiance was.

So if we gather under the banner of God’s love, that love is where our allegiance lies.

In Luke 5, we see the story of a man with leprosy, a skin disorder, who showed his allegiance to Jesus:

“When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.’

“Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ And instantly the leprosy disappeared” (Luke 5:12b-13, NLT).

The man bowed down before Jesus, a symbol of surrendering to God, essentially saying, “Jesus, You are my banner. You are over me.” And what kind of banner was Jesus? A banner of love.

There is a famous passage of Scripture about love that starts, “Love is patient and kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4a, NLT). Because Jesus is love, the following is true:

“[Jesus] is patient and kind. [Jesus] is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. [Jesus] does not demand [His] own way. [Jesus] is not irritable, and [Jesus] keeps no record of being wronged. [Jesus] does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. [Jesus] never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NLT).

We can know THAT Jesus! He is the banner of love under which we are invited to stand in surrender! And the cool thing about surrendering to Jesus is that He also welcomes us to ask anything of Him, much like the man who needed healing in Luke 5.

So what’s your ask? What would you seek from the One who embodies pure, unrelenting love? Friend, Jesus loves you and is willing to heal you from sin and death forever. Will you bow down in faith before Him and let Him be the banner over you today?

Father, we know there is freedom under Your banner of love. Under Your banner of love, there is hope. Under Your banner of love, there is healing, joy and friendship. Under Your banner of love, there is no shame and no condemnation. Under Your banner of love, there is Jesus, lovingly stepping toward us with arms wide open, saying, “I love you; welcome home.” Help us stand confidently under Your banner as we enter Your throne room of grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Visit Shala W. Graham’s website, Calling Qualified Ministries, to access free resources to activate you in your calling to Jesus. You can also find Shala on Instagram for more everyday reminders of God’s unlimited truths.

FOR DEEPER STUDY

Leviticus 13:45-46, “Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp” (NLT).

Exodus 17:15, “Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means ‘the LORD is my banner’)” (NLT).

Jesus calls us to a lifetime — and then an eternity — of willing surrender to Him. He already took the punishment we deserve for our sins when He went to the cross. How can you choose to stand under His banner of love today?

We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.

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