Lost in wonder, love, and praise!

I’ve been meditating on the last line of Charles Wesley’s glorious hymn, ‘Love Divine, all loves excelling’ - Lost in wonder, love, and praise! It has a beautiful theological logic to it. First, we are to see/understand/comprehend, be impacted by Divine glory – wonder. Second, having seen it, we are to love what we see. We are to be affected at an emotional, heart level by the wonder of who God is and all He is for us in Christ. I think this is what Jesus prayed for at the climax of his High Priestly prayer in John 17: 24, 26. That we should see his glory and love and appreciate it/him just as the Father – who sees and loves his Son’s infinite perfections perfectly – does. (A lesser love is not worthy of him.) Having been so affected, there remains only the consummation of our satisfaction in Christ – praise!

My prayer is that I can be lost in the foretaste that the Spirit brings of this glory now, and forever transformed by what I see of Christ in his word. And then, face to face, the apprehension and appreciation of the glory of Christ will only increase, without any distraction, distortion, dilution or detraction – Oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

Love Divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down,
Fix in us thy humble dwelling,
All thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation,
Enter every trembling heart.

Come, almighty to deliver,
Let us all thy grace receive;
Suddenly return, and never,
Never more thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve thee as thy hosts above,
Pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
Glory in thy perfect love.

Finish then thy new creation
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see thy great salvation,
Perfectly restored in thee,
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise!

Filed under: Christ our treasure, Evangelical, God's Glory, Holiness, Jesus Christ, The glory of Christ, The word of God, Worship