Tuesday, 23 February 2010 22:17
I think you know the song, How He Loves Us. Most recently it was done by David Crowder Band, and it is sung by people all over. It’s been on my mind for a couple days. I thought I’d tell you the story behind it, if you haven’t heard it.
The song was written by John Mark McMillan, who writes and performs a lot of really good music. Here’s what David Crowder said about the song’s background: “[John] had a youth minister he was close to and he’d been praying and praying for there to be a movement among the youth that he was leading. One morning, when they were meeting to pray [the friend] said, “I’d give my life for this if that’s what it takes to see a movement among these youth. Do whatever you need to do, God.” That evening John Mark’s friend, Steven the youth pastor, died in a car wreck, and John Mark wrote the song in memory of his friend.”
It is a beautiful, terrible story. The words to the song touch my spirit because the song is gentle and violent, sad and full of joy. What do you think happened in that youth group, in those students that Steven loved? Why do you think God would weave those occurrences together, including the words Steven prayed with David? Because of that, everyone knows this story. The best response I can come up with is, Lord, you are all there is on this earth worth living for! Everything else comes and goes. Your love for me is indescribable.
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.