“The Love of God” by Rich Mullins

There’s a wide ness in God’s mercy

I cannot find in my own

And it keeps this fire burning

To melt this heart of stone

Keeps me aching with the yearning

Keeps me glad to have been caught

In the reckless, raging fury

That they call the love of God

Now I have seen no band of angels

But I’ve heard the soldiers’ song

Love hangs over them like a banner

Love within leads them on

To the battle on the journey

And it’s never going to stop

Ever widening their mercy

And the fury of His love

Oh, the love of God

Oh, the love of God

The love of God

Joy and sorrow are this ocean

It’s in their every ebb and flow

Now the Lord ad door has opened

That all hell can never close

Here I’m tested and made worthy

Tossed about, yet lifted up

In the reckless, raging fury

That they call the love of God

Dear God, I’ve always love this song—the reckless, raging fury. That’s not normally how we describe your love. We want your love to be gentle and warm, but that’s how we love. That’s how mortals do it. The omnipotent brings something else to the table. The perfect father has a love that I cannot fathom. And your desire is to break us down and mold us into the people we need to be.

As I think about the words to this song this morning, I have to confess that my heart is distracted by a difficult situation. I have a difficult thing to do, and it has to be done well. I woke up this morning thinking about it, and what I’m really wondering is how can I do it in love? How can I do it compassionately? What I’m facing feels like part of the ocean ebbing and flowing. It’s part of the sorrow that you use to form me. Oh, how I need you to help me.

Father, guide me. Guide me, please. And don’t let the pain of this situation be in vain. Make it count. Make it count for me and everyone else involved. Help me, please.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen