Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The Story Behind How He Loves

How He Loves : A Song Story from john mark mcmillan on Vimeo.

10 comments:

  1. Every time I hear your song I feel such tenderness from God as He whispers love into my wounds.

    This song is currently ministering to my wounded heart - the part of me that longs for my husband's health to be restored, that occasionally shakes my fist at God in anger and frustration, and desires to see God's purpose in our suffering revealed!

    "He is jealous for me,
    Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
    Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy....
    When all of a sudden,
    I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
    And I realize just how beautiful You are,
    And how great Your affections are for me."

    Most of us that 'know' this song, 'know' the David Crowder band version of it and not why you wrote it.

    I personally find it SO EASY to focus on my afflictions, but there is a beautiful dynamic written here that perhaps only us 'southerners' who've been through a hurricane can comprehend ... how a tree can be bent nearly in half (but never broken) by the strength of the storm and yet a very REAL and loving God supports that tree with mercy. How we can LOOK to God to solve our problems and realize that He is IN our problems with us, but loves us so much that He won't 'just fix' what is broken. He could, but He loves us SO much, that sometimes the more LOVING response is to just walk with us through our storm.

    God is so very perfect and loving that underneath the unbearable weight of pain, He upholds, girds, strengthens, and mercifully loves us all! His affection for me, for you, for each of us, IS GREATER THAN THE STORM we face.... I am writing this from the perspective of a wife who has watched her beloved spouse face unbearable and unimaginable pain for 44 months. The end of our storm is still not in sight. Yet He loves us, oh how He loves us, He loves us so MUCH that He never leaves us, never forsakes us, and His glory is revealed in our suffering.

    God doesn't give me a 'like' button on life ... He doesn't care if I 'like' it nearly as much as He cares if I cling to Him in my storm. So, if GRACE IS an ocean, let me sink deep because I need His grace, mercy and love as I continue to love my husband who lives in pain.

    Thank you for putting to paper, the very real and raw emotions that I (used to) struggle with!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the song. I live in Redding, California and first heard it when Kim Walker sang it at Bethel Church. I did a search and found out you wrote it, so I purchased one of your albums on iTunes and have been following your blog in my Google reader since.

    Sharing this video on Facebook...

    ReplyDelete
  3. thank you for your transparency... for being real about being angry with God... i've been there. and i like you was swept away by the thought that He was big enough to take my anger and frustration at Him and love me in spite of that.

    beautiful video.beautiful song. praise Him

    ReplyDelete
  4. thank you for your transparency... for being real about being angry with God... i've been there. and i like you was swept away by the thought that He was big enough to take my anger and frustration at Him and love me in spite of that.

    beautiful video.beautiful song. praise Him

    ReplyDelete
  5. wow....
    thank you for your transparency... for being real about being angry with God... i've been there. and i like you was swept away by the thought that He was big enough to take my anger and frustration at Him and love me in spite of that.

    beautiful video.beautiful song. praise God

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is awesome stuff. It is a beautiful expression of a God who loves so much bigger than our circumstances, and regardless of our anger, frustration, and, at times, rage He still invites us to bring it to Him. Thank you so much for sharing the back story.

    ReplyDelete
  7. so good to hear the story, I have heard 2nd hand bits here and there but to hear it from you is so sweet. This song has been huge in opening my heart to the love of God, it wrecks me everytime. thanks

    ReplyDelete
  8. I didn't think it was possible for this song to reach deeper into my spirit than it already had, but that's exactly what happened when I first heard the "How He Loves" story about a year a half ago. Understanding the pain and frustration that went into this song allows me to look inward at my own mess and upwards at a God who loves me despite. I was at Passion London a few weeks ago, and I cannot possibly describe to you what was going on in that arena when thousands of students were singing this song. But it was powerful. And the spirit was there. And hearts were changed. A generation is rising up, and this song is merely a page of the story that is unfolding. Thank you for listening when you were hurting the most and for writing these words down. It must be amazing to see how an outpouring of pain has been a source of healing for so many. God bless!

    ReplyDelete
  9. you probably wont ever read this but for a while now i have been getting into your music more and more. it wasn't till recently i actually found out you wrote "He Loves". When i learned that i was extremely interested and looked up everything i could about it. the story behind that song honestly changed my life. i have seen God work miracles in peoples lives through this song and continue to do so. Every time i hear that song i cant help but completly fall apart. every word is saturated with God's grace and mercy, and it redefines God for me every time i hear it. i believe the power of this song is shaking our generation. God has used you in a way that you could never imagined. thank you

    ReplyDelete