The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

                          O The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus ~ Indelible Grace

1) 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 my glorious rest above.

2) 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.

3) O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Love of every love the best;
'Tis an ocean vast of blessing,
'Tis a haven sweet of rest,
O the deep, deep love Jesus,
'Tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
For it lifts me up to Thee.

This hymn was written by Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925). Francis was a business man who went back and forth across the Atlantic. Apparently, he came to love the ocean. He certainly found an excellent metaphor to make the vastness of Christ's love a little bit more understandable. It surrounds us, it encompasses us, it carries us as a current carries a ship. Francis understood this and put it in a hymn.

The tune itself is called, "Ton-Y-Botel." This Welsh music was composed by Thomas J. Williams. Or, if you prefer the legend, it was found in a bottle that washed up on the ocean. Either way, the tune blends perfectly with the words. The rises and falls of the music compliments the oceanic imagery of Samuel Francis' words. When "updating" this hymn, Indelible Grace didn't change all that much. It's pretty much the same tune. I'm certain a lot of hard work went into the production, but the fit is so snug, there wasn't any need to mix things up.

This hymn is especially helpful in reminding us that we cannot exhaust God's love. At times, we think we try God's patience with us in manner that might cost us His love. But that simply is not true. Yes, God will be displeased with us in our sins, but He will never not love us. We can't burn His love up anymore than we could drink the ocean. He will always love His people.