Lyrics
Verse 1
Before I spoke a word
You were singing over me
You have been so, so
Good to me
Before I took a breath
You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so
Kind to me
Chorus
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it
I don't deserve it
Still You give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Verse 2
When I was your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so
Good to me
When I felt no worth
You paid it all for me
You have been so, so
Kind to me
Chorus
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it
I don't deserve it
Still You give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Bridge (x3)
There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
No lie You won't tear down
Coming after me
Chorus
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it
I don't deserve it
Still You give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Bridge (x2)
There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
No lie You won't tear down
Coming after me
Original Version
This page covers a cover recording of the song. See the original: Reckless Love by Cory Asbury lyrics.
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
This page of “Reckless Love” sets the lyric in short phrases, so “You have been so, so” and “Good to me” sit on separate lines, and the chorus breaks into “I couldn't earn it,” “I don't deserve it,” and “Still You give yourself away.” The bridge uses “No lie You won't tear down,” and the structure is unusual: the bridge appears three times, a chorus follows, and the bridge returns once more to end the page.
That ending leaves the final emphasis on pursuit. The repeated images of shadow, mountain, wall, and lie describe obstacles that love is said to cross, and each ends with “Coming after me.” The picture of a shepherd who goes after one lost sheep comes from Jesus in John 10 and Luke 15, where the shepherd cares for the flock and searches for the missing one. The verses add that this love came when the singer was a foe with no worth, a theme that matches Paul's teaching about grace.
Related Scripture
- John 10:11 Jesus calls himself the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.
- Luke 15:4-7 Jesus tells of a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to find one that is lost.
- Psalm 139:7-12 The psalmist says no place, including darkness, is hidden from God.