My Favorite Hymns about God's Love

For Valentine's Day, I was going to do a hymn study on a hymn about God's love. God's love is the ultimate example of love.  His loving is giving, sacrificial, and gracious.  Our love can only hope to be a reflection of his agape love.

Since I was unable to choose just one hymn, I have decided to share some of my favorites instead.

And Can It Be? (Amazing Love)

by Charles Wesley, 1738

And can it be that I should gain

An interest in the Savior�s blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain�

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be,

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Amazing love! How can it be,

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

�Tis mystery all: th�Immortal dies:

Who can explore His strange design?

In vain the firstborn seraph tries

To sound the depths of love divine.

�Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,

Let angel minds inquire no more.

�Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;

Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father�s throne above

So free, so infinite His grace�

Emptied Himself of all but love,

And bled for Adam�s helpless race:

�Tis mercy all, immense and free,

For O my God, it found out me!

�Tis mercy all, immense and free,

For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,

Fast bound in sin and nature�s night;

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray�

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

My chains fell off, my heart was free,

I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

My chains fell off, my heart was free,

I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,

That whispers all my sins forgiven;

Still the atoning blood is near,

That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.

I feel the life His wounds impart;

I feel the Savior in my heart.

I feel the life His wounds impart;

I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;

Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;

Alive in Him, my living Head,

And clothed in righteousness divine,

Bold I approach th�eternal throne,

And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Bold I approach th�eternal throne,

And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

The Love of God

by Frederick Lehman, 1917

(Second verse based on the Jewish Poem "Haddamut" by Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai, 1050)

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.

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.

It Passeth Knowledge That Dear Love of Thine

by Mary Shekleton, 1863

Traditional Tune

Modern Tune

It passeth knowledge, that dear love of Thine,

O Jesus, Saviour; yet this soul of mine

Would of Thy love, in all its breadth and length,

Its height and depth and everlasting strength,

Know more and more.

It passeth telling, that dear love of Thine,

O Jesus, Saviour; yet these lips of mine

Would fain proclaim to sinners far and near

A love which can remove all guilty fear,

And love beget.

It passeth praises, that dear love of Thine,

O Jesus, Saviour; yet this heart of mine

Would sing a love so rich, so full, so free,

Which brought a rebel sinner, such as me,

Nigh unto God.

But though I cannot tell, or sing, or know

The fulness of Thy love while here below,

My tiny vessel I may freely bring --- 

O Thou, who art of love the living Spring,

My vessel fill!

O fill me, Jesus, Saviour, with Thy love;

Lead, lead me to the living Fount above!

Thither may I in simple faith draw nigh,

And never to another fountain fly,

But unto Thee.

Lord Jesus, when Thee face to face I see,

When on Thy lofty throne I sit with Thee,

Then of Thy love in all its breadth and length,

Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,

My soul shall sing.

How Deep The Father's Love For Us

by Stuart Townsend, 1995

Click here for my hymn study

How deep the Father�s love for us,

How vast beyond all measure,

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss -

The Father turns His face away,

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders;

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished;

His dying breath has brought me life -

I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything,

No gifts, no power, no wisdom;

But I will boast in Jesus Christ,

His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer;

But this I know with all my heart -

His wounds have paid my ransom.

O The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

by S. Trevor Francis, 1875

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!

I Stand Amazed in the Presence

by Charles H. Gabriel, 1905

I stand amazed in the presence

Of Jesus the Nazarene,

And wonder how He could love me,

A sinner, condemned, unclean.

Refrain

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

And my song shall ever be:

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

Is my Savior�s love for me!

For me it was in the garden

He prayed: �Not My will, but Thine.�

He had no tears for His own griefs,

But sweat drops of blood for mine.

In pity angels beheld Him,

And came from the world of light

To comfort Him in the sorrows

He bore for my soul that night.

He took my sins and my sorrows,

He made them His very own;

He bore the burden to Calvary,

And suffered and died alone.

When with the ransomed in glory

His face I at last shall see,

�Twill be my joy through the ages

To sing of His love for me.

What are some of your favorite hymns (or songs) about God's love?  Which of these are your favorites?  Would you like me to do a hymn study on one of these hymns?  I'd love to read your comments below!

Do We Care for Hurting Christians?

Galatians 6:10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. 

Not too long ago, I read a blog post by a friend called �Does Anyone Hear Her?� that has been on my mind ever since. The following quote hit me hard:

�I have reached out in MANY different ways over the last six years�but no one has reached back�it brings GREAT sadness to my heart.�

My initial reaction was from memories of others feeling like no one in their church cares about them. Yet, the more I thought about it, I was convicted of times when I didn�t reach out to others because it was out of my comfort zone. So, I started looking up verses about the body of Christ and how we should treat others in it. Here is what I�ve learned from this reflection and study of both personal experience and God�s Word.

1. We are members of a body.

All believers are members of the body of Christ (Romans 12:5). Therefore, when someone is suffering, all suffer with him (1 Corinthians 12:26). Christians are to be recognized for their love for one another (John 13:35). If we ignore someone�s signs of suffering or hurting, what does that say about our spiritual health? The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20). If someone leaves our local body of Christ, it should feel as if a limb has been removed. Do we show the one that leaves that we feel that way?

2. We are responsible to help each other.

As members of the local body of Christ (Romans 12:5), we are responsible to help each other through their trials. Galatians 6:2 says, �Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.� We can�t push that responsibility off on the church leaders, people who are closer friends with the hurting, or those who go to the same Sunday School class or Bible study. If we notice that they are hurting, it is our responsibility to reach out to them. James 4:17 says �Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.�

3. We should care for emotional and spiritual needs, not just physical ones.

1 John 3:17 says �But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?� God�s love takes care of more than our physical needs, so couldn�t the verse also apply to other needs? Maybe we could rephrase it this way: �If someone has the capacity to help another and refuses, can God�s love really be in him?� By all means, help with someone�s physical needs, but if you notice deeper needs then try to care for them as well. The main reasons that emotional needs are not met is that we are not comfortable with asking someone about personal things, we don�t notice that they are hurting, and we don�t know how to help them.

4. Others� needs are more important than your comfort zone.
In our society, people tend to be private and it can be seen as meddlesome to interfere when we weren�t asked. That is one of the reasons that caring for the hurting can take me out of my comfort zone. But am I putting my comfort above the other person�s pain? I have done this by excusing myself that I am not good enough at dealing with these things or that God wouldn�t expect me to do something so hard for me. These thoughts are selfish and show that I was putting myself above others (Philippians 2:3-4). I�m sure it was out of Jesus� comfort zone to hang around sinners, but He did so because He loved them. That is the attitude we must emulate (Philippians 2:5-8).

5. Recognize others� signs of hurting.

People don�t often ask for help when they are hurting. Sometimes they don�t want to gossip about the situation causing their pain. Sometimes they don�t think anyone really cares. Sometimes they just don�t know how to ask. Whatever the reason, we should be aware of other peoples� more subtle cries for help: vague prayer requests, emotionally distant, less involvement in activities or ministries, decreased attendance, body language that shows signs of hurt or frustration. Once you are aware (or suspect) that someone is hurting, you are responsible to care for them.

6. Encourage others as God encouraged Elijah.

After the spiritual victory at Mt. Carmel, Elijah went through a very low time. He was being chased by Jezebel and very depressed. However, first an angel and then God Himself encouraged him (1 Kings 19). The article Practical Ways to Encourage People Who Are Hurting  shows that God first met Elijah�s physical needs. Then, He showed Himself to be a gentle presence. Last, God reminded Elijah that He had a plan and that others would be there to help him. When we�re uncertain of how to help someone, try meeting some physical need (like taking them out to dinner), then just be a gentle presence, reminding them that God is there and so are you.

7. Attempting feebly is better than ignoring someone�s pain.

If you�re not sure if someone is hurting, reach out anyway. Recently, I thought someone was hurting and sent a note to encourage them. Turns out that everything was fine and I read the signals wrong (which can happen when you look at things through the lens of your own past experiences). I was thankful that everything was fine, but I was also a little embarrassed for having �meddled.� Yet, as I took time to think about it, I don�t regret my attempt to show love. I�m still learning how best to reach out, but it certainly can�t hurt to let someone know that they were missed or that you love them. It doesn�t hurt to ask if everything is OK or if there is something you can do for them. You don�t have to be nosy and ask what�s going on, just show that you care. The worst that can happen is that the other person sees that you notice them and love them.

8. Don�t stop trying.

Maybe, like me, you�ve neglected to reach out to others in the past. If you have, don�t give up. Maybe it�s not too late to reach out to that person. Even if it is too late to help that person, don�t be discouraged over your failures. Instead, learn from them and use them to motivate you to help the next person.


In John 21, Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him. When Peter affirms that he does (though he acknowledges that his human love is weak and feeble), Jesus tells him to tend and shepherd His sheep. Jesus was not telling Peter to become a pastor. He was simply telling him that to show love to Christ we must care for His disciples. We should care for other believers in the same way a shepherd cares for his sheep. Not as the hired hand who runs away at the first sign of trouble "because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep� (John 10:13). Instead, we should get down on our knees to tend to their physical needs (Psalm 23:5). We should notice their needs and care for them (Ezekiel 34:16). We should earn their trust (John 10:4). We should guide them with gentleness (Isaiah 40:11). Just like the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us (John 10:14-15).