{"id":17733,"date":"2018-02-14T08:25:38","date_gmt":"2018-02-14T13:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=17733"},"modified":"2018-02-14T08:32:45","modified_gmt":"2018-02-14T13:32:45","slug":"worship-wednesday-o-the-deep-deep-love-of-jesus-a-valentines-day-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=17733","title":{"rendered":"Worship Wednesday – O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus – a Valentine’s Day Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/a>Photo Credit: Gauton Photography, Daily Mail<\/a><\/p>\n

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Your steadfast love, O Lord<\/span>, extends to the heavens,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>your faithfulness to the clouds.<\/span><\/span>
\nYour righteousness is like the mountains of God;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>your judgments are like the great deep;<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>man and beast you save, O Lord<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!<\/span><\/strong>
\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.<\/span><\/span><\/strong> – Psalm 36:5-7<\/a><\/p>\n

I love Valentine’s Day. Maybe, more than anything, it is a bright red, shiny day that punctures the many gray ones of winter. Being married now for many years, the season of longing for love should be long forgotten. It is not. I remember.<\/p>\n

The funny thing about the years of singleness – the many Valentine’s Days spent more with great girlfriends than with a guy – was the weathered joy in them. The loneliness and seeming “not belonging to someone” brought keen awareness of the contrasting actual truth that I was NOT alone. Indeed, I was loved more deeply than ever possible by another human as needy as me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On this Worship Wednesday, on Valentine’s Day, I’m drawn back to an old hymn. One actually that only became familiar to me during our years in Egypt, worshiping with British expats. They brought their beloved hymns into our collective worship experience.<\/p>\n

Englishman Samuel Trevor Francis<\/a> penned,\u00a0 in King James English, a beautiful hymn extolling the love of Christ. The lyrics are so powerful and life-giving. You can just hear the great church organ of the past pounding out the beat and breadth of the melody…and the message of love we find in Jesus.<\/p>\n

Please worship with me. The Christian band Selah<\/a> has prepared an updated version for us, retaining the feel of the old hymn. The lyrics and music to accompany are found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

1 O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
\nvast, unmeasured, boundless, free,
\nrolling as a mighty ocean
\nin its fullness over me.
\nUnderneath me, all around me,<\/strong>
\n is the current of Thy love;<\/strong>
\nleading onward, leading homeward
\nto my glorious rest above.<\/p>\n

2 O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
\nspread His praise from shore to shore!
\nHow He loveth, ever loveth,<\/strong>
\n changeth never, nevermore!<\/strong>
\nHow He watcheth o’er His loved ones,
\ndied to call them all His own;
\nhow for them He intercedeth,
\nwatcheth o’er them from the throne.<\/p>\n

3 O the deep, deep love of Jesus,<\/strong>
\n love of ev’ry love the best;<\/strong>
\n’tis an ocean vast of blessing,
\n’tis a haven sweet of rest.
\nO the deep, deep love of Jesus,
\n’tis heav’n of heav’ns to me;
\nand it lifts me up to glory,
\nfor it lifts me up to Thee.*<\/p>\n