“O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus”
Samuel Trevor Francis
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me,
is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward
to Thy glorious rest above!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth,
changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones,
died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth,
watcheth o’er them from the throne!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing,
’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
for it lifts me up to Thee!
About the Hymn: The hymn was written by Samuel Trevor Francis
after a moment of despair when he was tempted to end his life by jumping from London’s
Hungerford bridge into the turbulent waters below. You can read more here at Songs and Hymns: O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus. The hymn tune, “Ebenezer,” is Welsh and its
name means “stone of help.” It is also
the tune for “Once to Every Man and Nation” by James R. Lowell, which I
mentioned here: For Such a Time as This.
Why I Picked This Hymn: This hymn has been on my list for upcoming
Strength in Hymn posts for a while, but a recent beach trip with our family
clinched the deal. Of course this post
needs ocean pictures! I love the hymn,
which we have often sung in church since I was a teenager, because it reminds me of the all-sufficient love
of God even when I feel like I am overwhelmed with life. He is very deep, but he paradoxically lifts
me high. The story of how this hymn was
written brings to mind the beautiful old Simon & Garfunkel song “Bridge Over Troubled
Water” that I’ve been listening to a lot lately. (That's an understatement!) I am thinking of a young friend of our family who
is going through a very tough time, and how we’ve tried to be there for him - like a bridge over troubled water. Our concern is not enough to fix his problems,
but we do what we can. We need to trust
the love of God, which is far deeper, far wider, far higher.
With God's love,
Virginia Knowles
I love the words to this hymn, and the photos along with it are fantastic! Thanks for sharing the history behind it too. I always enjoy learning a bit about where it came from.
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