O The Deep Deep Love of Jesus (Hymn)

O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus is a timeless hymn that beautifully portrays the vast, unchanging, and redemptive love of Christ. Using the imagery of a mighty ocean, it reflects on His boundless grace, unwavering care, and the ultimate rest found in Him.

VERSE 1
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.

VERSE 2
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.

VERSE 3
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Love of every love the best:
’tis an ocean vast of blessing,
’tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
‘Tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
Ror it lifts me up to thee.

Story Behind the Song

Samuel Trevor Francis, born in 1834, was a London merchant known for his hymns and open-air preaching. As a young man, he faced a profound spiritual crisis. One night, while crossing London’s Hungerford Bridge, he contemplated ending his life by leaping into the River Thames.

In that moment of despair, he experienced a renewal of faith, recalling the words of Jesus in John 3:3: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This pivotal experience inspired him to write numerous hymns, including “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.”[1]

The hymn employs the imagery of the ocean to depict the vastness of Christ’s love, aligning with Ephesians 3:18-19, which speaks of comprehending “the breadth and length and height and depth” of Christ’s love.

The melody most commonly associated with this hymn is “Ebenezer,” composed by Thomas J. Williams in 1890. Williams named the tune after the Ebenezer Chapel in Rhos, Pontardawe, where he attended during his youth.[2]

First published in 1875, “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” has since become a cherished hymn, celebrated for its profound portrayal of divine love and its enduring message of hope and redemption.