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How vast, exactly, is God's love for us?
The Arctic Ocean has a surface area of just over 14 million square kilometres. That's roughly 1.5 times the size of the United States of America, or just under 3.7 billion times the plot area of Grace I. And that's the smallest of the Earth's five major oceans.
The largest is the Pacific Ocean, which has a surface area of 165 million square kilometres and covers a third of the Earth's surface. That's about 11 quadrillion grilled cheese sandwiches.
Added together, 71% of the Earth's surface is water, which adds up to more than 361 million square kilometres – almost 10 times the surface area of the moon.
And yet, God's love is far vaster than this. If you imagine yourself in the middle of an ocean and all around you the horizons just show water and more water, you still haven't fully grasped the width of God's love. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians he prays that they, "being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that [they] may be filled up to all the fullness of God." (Eph 3:17b–9). It is only when we have experienced this lavish love that God has for us that we may begin to understand exactly how great His love is for us, and if we are in awe whenever we see an expanse of water, surely we will continuously be in awe of God's expansive love for us.
– alvin(:
Taking another perspective of the analogy between water and God's love, William Nelson describes our nature as vessels of God's love and how we are filled by Him. And I think there's a rather interesting idea when you collide both perspectives together: if God's love is vast as an ocean, then surely we will never run empty as He pours into us from His infinitude.
The Digital Age – Oceans
Everybody knows "Oceans" by Hillsong United, but I would like to share this cover by The Digital Age. This band is made out of 4 of the 6 members of David Crowder*Band when it disbanded, and although they are just a 4-piece band, they manage to achieve a sound that is both broad and thick. The cover also makes very interesting use of a vocoder at the start (the thing that makes Mark Waldrop sound like he's autotuned) – and yet it does not detract from the worshipfulness of the song!
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Jasmine Guerrero – Sink
Jasmine Guerrero is a dancer and a singer, and teamed up with Isla Vista Worship to produce an EP of beautifully lush electronic music. I really like that her vocals were left raw and untuned, and the slight dissonance in the harmonies somehow works really well to add another texture to the already rich sounds. The whole EP has an unnamable ethereal quality to it, probably as a result of the synth pads and vocal parts that were put together to create a really dense atmospheric sound. "Sink" also has a really nice interplay between 4/4 and 3/4, and it's also coupled with a wonderful dance video that adds another dimension to the song's expression of the depth of God's love.
Also by Jasmine Guerrero: Light, Over and Over
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Lightfall – Your Love Is an Ocean
Lost In Who You Are is the sophomore release from Lightfall, and the fact that it was crowdfunded is a testament to the standard of music that they deliver. Their alt rock sound remains fresh with very clever use of the synthesizer and creative arrangements, and when combined with their lyrics, make for strong, declarative worship. "Your Love Is an Ocean" is one such song, and is really the kind of truth that you would holler at the top of your lungs – take a listen!
Also by Lightfall: Walk On Water, For All
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The next time you go to a beach or a pier, look over the horizon and remember how even the oceans come to an edge, but God's love never comes to an end.
Also, I've put together a little summer playlist on Spotify; it contains an eclectic mix of tunes suitable for a campfire party or an idyllic day at the beach. Enjoy!
Over and out!
EUPHOR!A // ISSUE 10 // JUL–AUG 2016