The hymn "Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean" has quite the history. From it's conception in the mind of William Rees to today, "Here is Love" has made a wonderful journey through the hearts and lives of believers of Jesus Christ in Wales, Europe, and in the United States.
The Hymn Writers and Composers
Welsh preacher and writer William Rees originally wrote the hymn “Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean”. He was also known by his Welsh name as Gwilym Hiraethog. He wrote the first two verses of the Welsh hymn “Dyma gariad fel y moroedd (Here is Love).”
William Williams would add the third and fourth verses and William Edwards would translate the hymn from Welsh to English. He would add it to the Baptist Book of Praise in 1900.
Robert Lowery, who lived between 1826 and 1899, wrote the music for “Here is Love” in 1876. Robert Lowery was known for writing the music for hymns such as “Nothing but the Blood” and “Shall We Gather at the River” and over 500 others. He was also a Baptist minister in New Jersey and helped establish the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in New York City.
The Use in the Welsh Revival
“Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean” was greatly used in Welsh Revival from 1904 to 1905. The first time it was used was at Ebenezer Baptist Church located around Aberavon, Wales. This became a spring board for the Welsh Revival. Many people in the area felt the working of the Holy Spirit and over 1,000 people came to this church service.
This meeting became impassioned with fervent prayer and religious fervor. The people were so emotional that the service lasted for four hours. This meeting would ignite a fire within the souls of men, women, and children that the Gospel of Jesus Christ would spread throughout Great Britain and several other countries.
The hymn that struck such a chord within these Welsh people’s souls would last throughout the Revival. The people would sing this hymn from church to church, from meeting to meeting. “Here is Love” would become known as the “love song of the revival.”
The Hymn Today
Today, the song has made a revival among Christian people. A well known English Christian Artist performs the song in Welsh and in English. Matt Redmon and Sovereign Grace Ministries gives a more modern rendition of this 19th Century hymn. Fernando Ortega also has a popular version of this song.
“Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean,” a hymn about the Saviour’s overwhelming love for the World, has stirred many hearts from its conception. The hymn may not be a widely known, however, the more popularity it gains in Contemporary Christian Music circles, the more widespread will be the message of the Saviour’s Love.
Sources:
Cyberhymnal's Information on "Here is Love"
BBC's article on the Welsh Revival
 |
