Fountain

Deep and wide

Deep and wide

There's a fountain flowing deep and wide.

I used to sing the song "Deep and Wide" in Sunday school when I was growing up. We had motions (my favorite) and would hum the different words as we repeated the song. I never really thought about the meaning of that song as a kid. It was just something we sang. To write this blog, I did a little internet research to try to understand where the words to this song are from in the Bible.

"Deep and Wide" was written by Sidney E. Cox, published in 1947. He was born in England, moved to Canada, and then moved to the United States. He was a major in the Salvation Army, which partly means he was a minister within his church. He wrote several hymns and songs, but "Deep and Wide" is most known.

Many say that the lyrics come from Ephesians 3:17-19 (Christian Standard Bible)

... and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

If you also look at John 7:37-38 (CSB), you may get a better idea of why the songwriter used a fountain in his song.

On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

God's love runs deeper than we know. If we believe in the power of Jesus Christ, that He is the Savior, then we will have living water. Jesus is the living water. We will have God within us. We will have the Spirit in us.