“Oh, How…”

Dr John Williams, in his many times through Scripture, decided to reread the Gospels with a focus in mind: not only what Jesus said but HOW He said it.

As Mother Theresa’s life’s output taught her: it is not what we give, but how much love is in the giving.

When those standing by the raising of Lazarus beheld both the weeping of Jesus and Lazarus’ complete resurrection, their breathless realization could only exclaim: “Look, how much He loved him!” (John 11:36)

In our wordy lives and environment, our relationship with words suffers greater and greater disparity and separation from deep meaning with each passing day. Many words. Speed reading. Multitasking while listening. No depth. Much to cover. We must cover much. Plentiful and surface intake. We don’t take it in…or to heart. As with what John 3:16 has become to its many listeners, we are reminded: “God SO loved the world…”

David Crowder made popular a song in this decade that begs us to STOP and enter into the worth. He draws into entering the world of how, how much. Oh, HOW He Loves Us. The songwriter’s pace and imagery will keep us there until we taste of it. We aren’t going to move quickly over this without transformation. We are going to stay. Consider the pictures in this one mere song that begin to take root in our hearts when we will STAY and enter. His love means:
 a hurricane of mercy bowing the frail tree of us
 jealousy
 afflictions eclipsed by glory
 beautiful, great His affections
 we are His portion
 grace is an ocean, and we’re all sinking
 Heaven meets earth with an unforeseen kiss

As life keeps rolling on at more and more accelerated paces, can we see the destined goal is not in covering the expanse of words, not just getting the job done? It is coming to the reality of HOW (and that is in itself worship), and only there is transformation.