Here is Love

Let me all Thy love accepting
Love Thee, ever all my days;
Let me seek Thy kingdom only
And my life be to Thy praise.

The first half of verse 3 of the old hymn – “Here is love, vast as the ocean”, lyrics written by two “Williams” (William Rees and William Williams) in the 19th century, and chorus added by Matt Redman in more recent times, suddenly opened up to me anew last Sunday at church. The hymn so succinctly sets out God’s love for me; but the revelation contained in these few lines, confirming how far reaching my response must continue to be, in terms of reciprocal love and praise, not as a ‘one-off’ but as a lifestyle, became a redefining moment. But that wasn’t all. The third line, ‘Let me seek thy kingdom only’, is very topical in this time of political and governmental instability. How easy it is to get caught up by current events when in fact I should be focusing first on God’s kingdom, which is stable, constant, loving, perfect, without end. No elections. No democracy. No undeliverable manifestos. No partisanship. Just perfect, eternal, secure government, administered by a Heavenly Father Who knows exactly what is best for each one of us. From that perspective I can seek God and pray that His Kingdom will come, and His will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven, being secure in my status as a child of God and citizen of Heaven.