God's Love Has Flooded Our Hearts

Readings:
Ezra 2
Romans 5:1-5

Focus:
Romans 5:5b: "Through the Holy Spirit he has given us, God's love has flooded our hearts."

I love the way this is worded in my translation: God's love has flooded our hearts. Other translations say it has been poured into our hearts. When we turn to God, just for doing that, we don't merely get a nice sprinkling of love. We get a deluge!

It makes me think of a hymn that is appropriate as we approach Good Friday, the commemoration of Jesus's death on the cross, as well as Easter (the tune can be heard here):

"What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul?
What wondrous love is this, O my soul?
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul?"

I like the last verse, too:

"And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on."

Singing on in response to the flood of love.


Words: At­trib­ut­ed to Al­ex­an­der Means. Music: From The South­ern Har­mo­ny and Mu­sic­al Com­pan­ion, by Will­iam Walk­er (New York: Hast­ings House, 1835)