Behind every song lies a story that deserves to be heard.
The story of Samuel Trevor Francis
A song that touches your heart
Some songs never let you go. They linger somewhere in the back of your mind and touch your heart in a way that isn’t always easy to explain. They speak to you and bring back memories. Sometimes it’s because of a familiar melody from the church of your youth, sometimes because of the words. Often, the story behind the lyrics is the reason a song touches your heart so deeply.
Recently, I came across such a song again. I first heard it years ago, and now it touched me once more. The title is: “O The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.” We were on vacation in Wales in the late 1970s. On Sunday morning, we visited a small Baptist congregation in Aberystwyth. We had already been introduced to Welsh singing, but for that we had to be in a pub on Saturday night. That experience was a delight to witness. With a pint of beer in hand, someone in the pub starts singing a song, and immediately many beautiful male voices join in. When I asked what these songs were about—since you can’t understand a word of them—I was told they’re about the historical conflict between the Welsh and the English. It was wonderful to hear these deep male voices singing. It gave us such goosebumps. But they know how to do it in church, too. That’s where I first heard this beautiful song: “O The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.”
This isn’t a song someone just thought up at a desk or composed at the piano. These lines found their origin on the edge of the abyss.
Hungerford Bridge
Let’s go back to nineteenth-century London. Samuel Trevor Francis is a young, successful merchant in the City. He is wealthy and has the world at his feet. To the outside world, his life seems perfectly in order, but inside, a violent storm is raging. Deep depression and spiritual doubts plague him. He doubts his faith and the value of his own existence.
One night, he reaches rock bottom. He stands on Hungerford Bridge, a bridge over the Thames, and looks down at the dark water below him. At that moment, the river seems like the only way out. He is about to jump and put an end to it all.
In the midst of that darkness on that bridge, something extraordinary happens. He isn’t seeking it, and he hasn’t earned it, but it happens to him. He experiences an overwhelming, almost physical force of love. It is the love of God. The Bible calls this grace: the gift you receive without deserving it. Where death first beckoned him, he now suddenly experiences, as if by divine intervention, an overwhelming love. How extraordinary that experience must have been.
Immeasurable is without limits
That night, Samuel changes forever. The words he puts down on paper afterward are not dry theological concepts. They are the words of a survivor. He writes about a love that is immeasurable, boundless, and completely free. He uses the image of an ocean to describe his experience: “Rolling as a mighty ocean.” The love of God is like a mighty, rolling sea; so vast and so deep that it encompasses everything.
The melody of a Welsh choral song gives the text an emotional depth that still touches people to this day; it certainly touches me. Francis did not keep this story to himself. The man who at first saw no way out later traveled the world. He visited Canada and Australia to share his testimony everywhere. He wanted everyone to know that God’s grace reaches deeper than the darkest valley. By day he remained a businessman, but in his spare time he was a passionate witness.
His voice still resonates in countless songbooks and churches. The lyrics remain relevant because the message is still true, and there are always people going through difficult times in their lives.
There may be times when everything seems dark in your life. You can’t see a way out, and it feels as though there is no hope. In such moments, think of what happened on that bridge in London. There is always something deeper than your greatest sorrow. God’s arms always reach further than the depths into which you might sink. He catches you and holds you tight. This song is living proof of that.
| Oh 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 Your love Leading onward, leading homeward To Your glorious rest above CHORUS Oh the deep, deep love All I need and trust Is the deep, deep love of Jesus | VERSE 2 Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus Spread His praise from shore to shore How He came to pay our ransom Through the saving cross He bore How He watches o’er His loved ones Those He died to make His own How for them He’s interceding Pleading now before the throne VERSE 3 Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus Far surpassing all the rest It’s an ocean full of blessing In the midst of every test Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus Mighty Savior, precious Friend You will bring us home to glory Where Your love will never end |
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