Oh for the Love of God!!!!

That phrase still gets used in response to the sheer stupidity of another person, I seem to take it's meaning to be "Oh man the only reason you aren't dead yet is because God loves you, or if it weren't for the Love of God that restrains me, I'd prolly kill you myself!" But truly the phrase has so much more meaning than that. This post is a response to a hymn that I was reminded of in a daily devotion on the SCF website. I heard this hymn for the first time years ago at Eastbrook, it is one of Marc Ericsons' (Senior pastor) favorite hymns, for a few reasons...his sister (if I remember correctly) was ill and the treatment or the disease was going to take away her beautiful voice. She recorded several of her favorite hymns on a tape to play later for her children...this was one of them. Also the author of the hymn wrote that he found the third verse written on the cell wall of an old patient in an insane asylum after they carried him out to be buried, the lines are part of an old Jewish poem, but were thought to have been scribbled there by the patient in a rare moment of lucidity. Frederick Lehman then penned the other two verses of the song preceding the third stanza.

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Refrain

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

1917, Fred­er­ick Leh­man

That these words were so important and moving to these people in the moments of darkest trial...gives me pause to wonder why more of my time is not spent dwelling on these things. But for today my heart has been lifted by these words. Click here if want to hear this song.