How deep the Father's love

Writing this song was an unusual experience for me. I'd already written quite a few songs for worship, but all in a more contemporary worship style, drawing from my own musical background. But I distinctly remember getting this feeling one day that I was going to write a hymn! Now, like most people, I am familiar with hymns - they form part of my church background, and I love the truth contained in many of them. But I don't go home at the end of a busy day and put on a hymns album! So I don't think of hymns as where I'm at musically at all!

Nevertheless, I'd been meditating on the cross, and in particular what it cost the Father to give up his beloved Son to a torturous death on a cross. And what was my part in it? Not only was it my sin that put him there, but if I'd lived at that time, it would probably have been me in that crowd, shouting with everyone else 'crucify him'. It just makes his sacrifice all the more personal, all the more amazing, and all the more humbling.

As I was thinking through this, I just began to sing the melody, and it flowed in the sort of way that makes you think you've pinched it from somewhere! So the melody was pretty instant, but the words took quite a bit of time, reworking things, trying to make every line as strong as I could.

After it was finished, I remember playing it to Dave Fellingham a few minutes before a time of worship. I was worried it was perhaps too twee, too predictable. Dave, in his typical demonstrative and over-enthusiastic way, shrugged his shoulders and said, "yeah, it's good", and that was that. It was only when I began to use it in worship, and all sorts of people of different ages and backgrounds responded to it so positively, that I thought that it might be a useful resource to the church at large.

Now I'm finding it gets used all over the world, by all sorts of churches; it seems to be as accessible to a traditional church as it is to a house church, and I'm excited by that. But it has perhaps branded me as an old man before my time. It was fed back to me that at a conference a couple who loved the song were surprised to hear I was still alive...

Stuart Townend

WANT TO DOWNLOAD THE SHEET MUSIC TO THIS SONG? Visit www.kingswaysongs.com - the quick, easy way to get music for your church.

Comments

[Al Birch]

What a great song - and glad to hear you're still alive : )

Al

[Adam]

Stuart...what a great song and encouraging story. This song is a HIT @ our church (45% under 18 years old :-) and every other church that I've sang it in. It really centers one's thoughts on the Father's deep love and the adoration He deserves. I do get a kick out of telling people it was written in the last decade when they tell me how grateful they are to have sung a hymn (read old song). Blessings to you.

adam

[Jenny Wright]

Hi Stuart,

How deep the Father's Love is one of many of your great songs which we sing in our church.

We met this year when I, and 4 other friends went to Lee Abbey where you were leading the teaching on 'In Christ Alone', another of your brilliant songs. We all had a wonderful time, it's such a beautiful place and we can't wait until we find out when you are going back so we can book to see you there again!

God bless you and your family,

Jenny

[Michael Menezes]

Hi Stuart

I'm enjoying the album 'The Power of the Cross, such a wonderful album filled with amazing songs of Anointed Praise and Worship and prophetic insight and passion, and feeling the powerful presence of God among the Thousands gathered rejoicing and worshipping God for the Power of The Cross in our lives, on the cross was such a strong love demonstrated there a love that we can never fathom its depths, but Worship God for the Power of the Cross because it set us free and we were forgiven by the Saviour who died on the cross and shed his blood for our sins and crushed Satan that we might be not be damned for eternity but be restored back to God, this is the power of the Cross

Thank You so much for your songs that are resounding in churches all over the world touching lives and touching heaven and glorifying God.

Michael.

[Melinda L. Brown]

Thank you for listening to the Spirit and following through in being an instrument that brought this beautiful, telling hymn to earth.

[Robert]

Hi Stuart :)
I LOVE this song. And yeah, this is kinda funny, but I too was surprised it was written by a contemporary writer. I fully expected to find that Issac Watts or Charles Wesley had written the words. Beautiful stuff :)
I've written some songs, but am definately still refining and tweeking (is that a word?) on them. I've got one on the myspace in my URL up thee. If you get a sec, take a listen. God Bless!

---Robert Fulton

[Mervyn Black]

Hi there Stuart I heard you at Coleraine at new Horizon. I got your latest C.D there also met the family. What a privelege that was. I have your C.d in my car and play it every journey I am on. there has been many tears shed. thank you for your music and God bless you on your faith journey.

[Fundamentally Reformed]

So was this the first "hymn" type song you ever wrote? Did you write this before you wrote "In Christ Alone"?

[Linda Born]

I am writing a book on my experiences as an Alzheimer's caretaker for Ave Maria press. I wanted to end one of the readings in the book with a reference to your hymn, "How Deep the Father's Love". I would use it as an illustration of the enormity of God's sacrifice for us through Christ--and how the small sacrifices He asks of us are not only His due, but a joy and a privilege to offer. I'm wondering how to get in touch with you to obtain permission to use your lyrics. Thank you for the blessing of this hymn.

[Stuart]

Yes, I suppose "How deep" was the first hymn-like piece I'd written. The meoldy came quite spontaneously - one of those moments when you think you must have subconsciously stolen it from somewhere else! Subsequent hymns (like "In Christ alone") have been mainly written with Keith Getty, who is the melody king!

[Stuart]

Hi Linda, glad to hear you want to use the song. You need to contact the publisher if you want to quote it anywhere - contact mtizzard@kingsway.co.uk. Thanks.

[Scott]

Stuart,

We sang "How Deep The Father's Love For Us" in chapel this week and it really provoked me. I did a little research when I got home and found out you also wrote "In Christ Alone." I did not know that you wrote/co-wrote both of them until now. That song provoked me last year (and continues to) when we sang it in chapel.

Thank you for blessing us with your gifts and thank you giving us worship songs with good theology!

I just ordered "Mandate" and look forward to the worship.
To Him Be The Glory,

Scott
North Carolina, USA

[ken]

stuart,

can you please tell me the meaning of this line:

"Why should I gain from His reward?"

mu singing class on wednesday nights is just thrown by it. my thoughts are that we have nothing to gain from the beatings that He took for believing what He believed. maybe i'm wrong. can please settle this issue for me?

[Jim Groeneveld]

I enjoyed the melody that I heard on TV (BBC Songs of Praise) with its alternating 6/4 and 4/4 time signature. Via the melody I came across the lyrics. I made my own Dutch translation, next to the (official) one already made by Peter van Essen. See http://home.hccnet.nl/jim.groeneveld/Music/Zoals%20de%20Vader%20ons%20bemint.doc

Regards - Jim.

[Monty Kaufman]

I have seen the song "In Christ Alone (My Hope Is Found)" by Robert Sterling. Is this the same song as yours?

Thanks for the info, and thanks for the great songs you have written about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

ONE Passion - GOD!
Monty

[Amy]

Stuart,

I happened to find your blog just now as I was searching for the sheet music to your song "How Deep the Father's Love."

I just wanted to tell you what that song has meant to me this past year. But I don't know that I can put it into words.

Thank you for the wonderful gift of this song which continues to enhance my daily worship of our Father.

[Amy]

Also, I just realized from reading your tagline that you also wrote some of my other favorites. Wow!

[Dan]

To Ken, in reference to "Why should I gain from His reward?". Since the close of that phrase is "His wounds have paid my ransom," this use of the word "reward" is the same as "payment" as in "$100 Reward for lost dog". So the question here is "Why did Jesus die for me on Calvary?" and the answer is "I really can't explain that kind of love, all I know with all my heart is that he did and now I am free."

[Joe Perry]

Hello Stuart. I'm going to chime in on this also.
It was a few years ago, on a Saturday evening at Belmont Nashville, that you and the group led worship. I appreciated it very much and spoke to some of the group members afterward. Not sure whether I shook your hand or not.

Anyway, I went to church next morning also and Dave Durham was leading with some of his people. They did "How Deep ...". I remember Theresa singing the first verse - during which I began to weep. I wept profusely all the way through that first day, and had no voice but for weeping every other time we sang it for years to come. Every line resonated in my heart.

Particularly poignant: "my voice among the mockers."

That morning I asked Dave about the song - I had seen the credits on the Power Point - he said you had just left town.

Since then I have wanted to tell you I thank you and thank God for you and not only for this song but for all the others. We sang "In Christ Alone" just this past Sunday.

Bless you brother for serving in this way.

[Jim Charles]

Wow, I just became aware of this song during worship at church this morning! Made such an impact I went forward after to ask about it! Wow! It encapsulates the whole thing about the cross, the sacrifice!

[John]

The words in "How Deep" are indeed powerful and moving for consideration of the work of Christ on the cross. I enjoy singing and meditating on them, truly worshipful. Its wonderful how new lyrics are set to quality tunes from our hymnals, making an old hymn new again. Check out "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross" in your United Methodist Hymnal, number 301. God bless.

[Kevin]

My wife and I were just listening to this song on our Chistian Radio station and wondered about the author of this incredible song.We googled it and found your web site.We would like to thankyou for writing such an inspirational song.If anyone can sing this song without weeping then they don't truly understand Christ's sacrafice for us.Thanks again and continue to produce such awesome truths.

[Barb Henderson]

Do you have your song in a low voice duet for ladies?

[None]

This song is so beautiful and touching. Keep Jesus in your heart ;-), and I pray he'll continue to bless others through you.

[Janet]

Your song, "How Deep the Father's Love", has been such a blessing to me. The melody is lovely, and the words draw my attention to the Savior who ransomed me.

I would like to use this as a congregational song in my church but am concerned about the line, "The Father turns His face away". I know that my pastor and many others in the church have a different view about why Christ said "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?". They maintain that He was declaring Himself to be the Messiah by referencing Psalm 22 which would have been very familiar to the people present. In this Psalm (verse 24) it states, "For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Neither has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard." I realize that many others in the church feel that God did turn His face away because He cannot look on sin, but I was wondering if perhaps their might be an alternate lyric that might avoid any such theological disagreements.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this issue and thanks once again for the beautiful song.