John Mark McMillan’s “How He Loves” is more than just a song; it’s an experience, an intimate glimpse into the overwhelming nature of divine love. The lyrics, simple yet profound, have resonated deeply within the hearts of listeners worldwide, making it a modern worship anthem. When exploring How He Loves Lyrics John Mark Mcmillan, you uncover a raw and powerful expression of faith and adoration.
The song opens with striking imagery, immediately setting a tone of awe and vulnerability:
He is jealous for me
Love’s like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
This verse paints a picture of God’s love as a force of nature, a hurricane that bends but doesn’t break. The listener is the tree, yielding to the powerful yet merciful wind. The word “jealous” here speaks not of possessiveness in a human sense, but of a passionate and fervent love, a divine desire for complete devotion. This sets the stage for understanding the intensity of the love described throughout the song.
The pre-chorus and chorus then explode into an expression of sudden, breathtaking realization:
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.
Oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so.
Yeah, He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves.
This is the emotional core of “How He Loves.” Afflictions and struggles fade into insignificance when confronted with the overwhelming glory and beauty of divine love. The repetition of “Oh, how He loves us” is not just a lyrical hook; it’s a mantra, a declaration, an echoing realization of this profound love. The “Woah” adds an element of raw, almost speechless wonder, capturing the feeling of being utterly overcome by emotion.
The second verse shifts perspective slightly, focusing on the reciprocal nature of this love:
So we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean we’re all sinking
Here, the lyrics articulate a mutual exchange: humanity is God’s portion, and God is humanity’s prize. This is a powerful concept of shared value and devotion. The metaphor of grace as an ocean in which we are all sinking emphasizes the immensity and all-encompassing nature of God’s grace. It’s a love that is freely given and readily available to all.
The bridge takes the intensity further, using visceral and somewhat unconventional imagery:
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
and my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
when I think about the way
This “sloppy wet kiss” metaphor is perhaps the most debated and discussed line in the song. It’s deliberately provocative, designed to shock and awaken. It portrays the meeting of heaven and earth – the divine and the human – as messy, passionate, and undeniably real. The violent turning of the heart reflects the intense emotional and spiritual upheaval that this encounter with divine love provokes. Regrets become insignificant in the face of such overwhelming affection.
The whispered verse adds a layer of raw vulnerability and personal testimony:
[Whispered]: Well, I thought about You the day Stephen died
and You met me between my breaking
I know that I still love You, God, despite the agony
…they want to tell me You’re cruel
But if Stephen could sing, he’d say it’s not true, cause…[voice breaks]…
This deeply personal moment, often whispered or delivered with raw emotion in live performances, reveals the context behind the song. Stephen was a friend of John Mark McMillan who passed away. In the midst of grief and pain, the lyrics testify to a love that persists even through agony. It addresses the common struggle of reconciling suffering with faith in a loving God. The broken voice at the end underscores the raw and authentic emotion embedded in these words.
The song concludes by returning to the powerful chorus, reinforcing the central message:
Cause He loves us, Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves
Yeah, He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves
The repetition and the powerful “Woah” continue to drive home the overwhelming and almost incomprehensible nature of this love. “How He Loves lyrics John Mark McMillan” ultimately point to a love that is passionate, merciful, and deeply personal, a love that transforms and overwhelms, even in the face of pain and doubt. The song’s enduring popularity lies in its ability to articulate this profound and often inexpressible aspect of faith in a way that is both raw and deeply moving.
