Hymns: Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean

I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the old hymns.

Today’s song is Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean from 1847.

1. Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Loving-kindness as the flood;
When the Prince of Life, my ransom,
Shed for me his precious blood.
Who his love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing his praise?
He shall never be forgotten,
Through Heav’n’s everlasting days

2. On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide,
Through the flood-gates of God’s mercy,
Flowed the vast and gracious tide;
Grace and love, like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above,
And God’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

3. Let me all your love accepting,
Love you, ever all my days;
Let me seek your kingdom only
And my life be to your praise;
You alone will be my glory,
Nothing in the world I see;
You have cleansed and sanctified me,
You have loved and set me free.

4. In your truth you will direct me
By your Spirit, thru' your Word;
And your grace my need is meeting,
As I trust in you, my Lord.
All your fulness you are pouring
From your endless wells above,
Without measure, full and boundless
As I yield myself in love.

Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean is closely associated with the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival. It’s interesting how music often plays a key role in significant periods in church history. I even see it in my personal history. So, many of my memories have a wonderful musical soundtrack, both spiritual and secular. I’m a big fan of Christian preaching, but if I look back 40 years, it’s the music that I remember more than the sermons. We can worship while listening to sermons, but hymns are our response. I see music as one of God’s wonderful gifts of common grace – given to everyone, just like humour. For me, life would be quite dull without music and humour. People might attempt to explain them in evolutionary terms, but I just thank God for them.

I sometimes felt guilty about focusing on the music of hymns rather than the lyrics, but both a significant. Music always makes me feel that I’m worshiping with others and it instantly touches me emotionally. But we shouldn’t neglect the lyrics either, though it takes more time to take them in. When I sing hymns, I rarely take all the lyrics in. It’s similar with sermons. A key point touches you rather than the whole thing. But that’s the same with everyday life. For example, when I watch a soccer match, it’ll have special moments, such as when a goal is scored. And certain lines of hymns sometimes hit me out of the blue.

I like the fact that this is a Welsh hymn. At one stage, Wales seemed a dull place on the way to England, but then I got to know it and love it. It has a great evangelical heritage. I wished that Ireland was more like it, but maybe they’re more similar nowadays.

I like seeing all the old Welsh chapels, but I’d imagine the evangelical scene is largely quite modern and many long for another great revival. The actual percentage of evangelicals is quite low. Even in broader Christianity, regular church attendance in Wales is around 5% of the population. In Ireland it’s around 30%, but it’s hard to judge whether people just go out of habit and for cultural reasons or whether they are true believers. We need a fresh revival everywhere. But we shouldn’t be surprised when the greatest growth is in other areas of the world, such as Africa, South America, and Asia. God is at work everywhere. Let’s not forget that Abraham was from what is modern Iraq, Moses was from Egypt, and the Apostle Paul was from Turkey. And though much of the Bible focused on Israel, it was always God’s intention to save people from every nation:

John 3:16
¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Interestingly, when I asked Microsoft Copilot about the hymn, it mentioned that an 18‑year‑old named Annie Davies famously sang it with “tears on her face and victory in her voice,” sparking a wave of worship. It’s lovely to think that an ordinary person can have such an impact. In my personal life, I’ve been greatly encouraged by witnessing the work of the Holy Spirit in ordinary individuals. I’ve seen the ripple effect it had on the wider congregation and community.

Here are some other versions of today’s hymn: