Here Is Love Vast As the Ocean

The Story Behind the Hymn

This hymn was originally written in Welsh by William Rees in the 1800s and became known as the “love song of the Welsh Revival.” It gained widespread attention during the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival, a spiritual awakening that swept across Wales with powerful impact. The melody was composed by Robert Lowry, who helped bring the hymn into English-speaking worship.

During the revival, this song was sung again and again in prayer meetings, often without instruments — just voices lifted together in adoration. Its focus on the boundless love of God through Christ captured hearts and became a symbol of that Spirit-led movement.

What Makes It Powerful

What makes this hymn so powerful is the way it paints a picture of Jesus' sacrificial love. It doesn’t just talk about grace — it immerses you in it. The language is poetic, but deeply Scriptural. It doesn’t stop at the cross either; it continues into the believer’s response — surrender, devotion, and a life lived in love.

A matching verse is Ephesians 3:18–19 (NIV):

[That you] may have power… to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.

That’s exactly what this hymn invites us into — not just to believe in God's love, but to be filled and changed by it.

My Violin Cover

When I arranged “Here Is Love, Vast As the Ocean” for violin, I chose a slow, flowing pace to reflect the hymn’s message. I let the melody rise and fall like waves — never rushing, always soaking in the meaning. There’s something sacred about this piece, and I aimed to play it with reverence and warmth.

With Violin Hymns, I always seek to capture the spirit of the lyrics. This one is all about Christ’s unshakable love — and our heartfelt response.

Listen and Reflect

The video is below. As you listen, let this hymn draw your heart back to the cross. Let the love of Jesus — vast as the ocean — meet you where you are and lead you into deeper surrender. Grace and love, like mighty rivers, poured incessant from above.

Lyrics

Here is love, vast as the ocean,

Loving-kindness as the flood;

When the Prince of Life, my ransom,

Shed for me his precious blood.

Who his love will not remember?

Who can cease to sing his praise?

He shall never be forgotten,

Through Heav’n’s everlasting days

On the mount of crucifixion,

Fountains opened deep and wide,

Through the flood-gates of God’s mercy,

Flowed the vast and gracious tide;

Grace and love, like mighty rivers

Poured incessant from above,

And God’s peace and perfect justice

Kissed a guilty world in love.

Let me all your love accepting,

Love you, ever all my days;

Let me seek your kingdom only

And my life be to your praise;

You alone will be my glory,

Nothing in the world I see;

You have cleansed and sanctified me,

You have loved and set me free.

In your truth you will direct me

By your Spirit, thru' your Word;

And your grace my need is meeting,

As I trust in you, my Lord.

All your fulness you are pouring

From your endless wells above,

Without measure, full and boundless

As I yield myself in love.

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