Hello OCBC family,
 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” 1 Jon 3:1. What a wonderful passage about the love of God toward us. The love of God has been the inspiration for many hymns and worship songs through centuries, and I want to share with you about a wonderful and very familiar hymn that uses the love of our Heavenly Father as a theme; “The Love of God.” 

This hymn was written by a German American pastor, Frederick M. Lehman, born in Pasadena, California. He became a Christian when he was eleven years old, and eventually, Frederick entered the ministry and was a faithful pastor in churches in the Midwest; but his greatest love was gospel music, and he created five songbooks.

Later, his finances were bad, and he found himself working in a packing factory in Pasadena, moving thirty tons of lemons and oranges a day. It was during this time that some lyrics came to his mind.

“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 wand'ring child is reconciled
by God's beloved Son.
The aching soul again made whole,
and priceless pardon won.”

And then,
“When ancient time shall pass away,
and human thrones and kingdoms fall;
when those who here refuse to pray
on rocks and hills and mountains call;
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
all measureless and strong;
grace will resound the whole earth round--
the saints’ and angels’ song.”

After work, he went home and sat at the piano and started to compose the melody that we know these days. But he has a “problem.” During that time, it was a norm that every hymn must have three stanzas. Then he remembered a poem that he heard in a sermon, and he used it for the third stanza of this hymn.

“Could we with ink the ocean fill,
and were the skies of parchment made;
were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill,
and ev’ryone 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.”

But who wrote this stanza? According to Frederick, he heard that these lyrics were found on the wall of an insane asylum by an unknown inmate. Maybe someone did find it there, but now we know that these words were part of a eleven-century Jewish poem, and its author was Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai.

This wonderful hymn, like I always say, is wonderful to use as a part of your quiet time. Worship the Lord, because of His love now we can be called children of God.
“O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure--
the saints’ and angels’ song.”
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:18-19.

There is a old poem in Latin called, “Jesu dulcis memoria” and its author was Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). He was the son of a knight, from a very wealthy family. His desire was to follow a military career, but he was very sick when he was young, then he became a monk. He founded a famous monastery near Clairvaux. He became a very powerful preacher in his era, and is remembered as a pious man. Even Martin Luther admired him, and said, “Bernard, the best monk that ever lived, whom I admire beyond all the rest put together.”

This poem was translated into English, and now we know it as the famous hymn, “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee.” The text expresses the feeling of joy and bliss that only Christ can provide.

“Jesus, the very thought of Thee
with sweetness fills my breast;
but sweeter far Thy face to see,
and in Thy presence rest.”

Let me share with you some excerpts from his writing and sermons:

• I was made a sinner by deriving my being from Adam; I am made righteous be being washed in the blood of Christ.
• You wish me to tell you why and how God should be loved. My answer is that God Himself is the reason He is to be loved.

Bernard was not a perfect man, but he served a perfect God, and we can see his love for his Savior through his hymns and sermons. We just sang another of his hymns last Sunday, “O Sacred Head Now Wounded.”
Please, use “Jesus, the Very thought of Thee” for your quiet time and adore our wonderful Savior, Jesus the Christ.

“Jesus, our only Joy be Thou,
as Thou our Prize wilt be;
Jesus, be Thou our Glory now
and through eternity.”
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
Psalm 27:4-5 says, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.” (ESV). 

This Psalm was one of Fanny Crosby favorites, because she was blind since she was a little girl, and like David, many times she felt alone, in darkness, but it was her Lord who give her comfort. You can read or sing many of her hymns, and you will find that she uses the picture of the Lord as her refuge. “Hide me” (Psalm 17:8b, “hide me in the shadow of your wings”), “Shelter” (Psalm 31:20, “In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.”). Inspiration came and she wrote, “He Hideth My Soul.”

“A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Savior to me;
He's hiding my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.”

Another image that she uses a lot is the Rock, but not just for her but for many Christians through the centuries. And who is the Rock? Jesus himself. An explosion of praises will be in our lips, knowing that he will protect us, that he will cover us, that he will protect us.

“With numberless blessings each moment he crowns
And fills with his fullness divine;
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God
For such a Redeemer is mine.”

Enjoy this lovely hymn during your quiet time.

“He's hiding my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He's hiding my life in the depths of his love
And cov'ring me there with his hand,
And cov'ring me there with his hand.”
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
 “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 17:8) This is a very sweet and powerful verse, showing us that God is always taking care of His children. And this was one of the verses that Charles Wesley used to penned one of his famous hymns, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.”  

Charles Wesley was converted in 1738 and wrote this hymn shortly thereafter. Some people said that while he was riding his horse, going to a different town to share the Good News, he wrote this lovely hymn. This activity was not new for Charles Wesley; in fact, he wrote many of his hymn while he was traveling to preach the gospel somewhere else. It was published under a title, “ In Temptation” in 1740.

“Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high:
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide;
O receive my soul at last.”

You can see how deep the language of the hymn is, that even Charles’ own brother, John, did not want to publish it, because he thought that this poem was not good for a public worship service, especially for the use of the word Lover; this is just a speculation.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in Thee I find:
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick and lead the blind:
Just and holy is Thy name,
I am all unrighteousness;
False and full of sin I am,
Thou art full of truth and grace.”

This hymn has been popular for many people and groups, especially for sailors, because of the picture of the storm and tempest on the sea. Use this hymn as your personal prayer, call the Lord as your Savior, and he will be with you during trials and troubles. He is faithful.

“Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound;
Make and keep me pure within:
Thou of life the fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart,
Rise to all eternity.”
​
In His service,
Israel