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 (x4)
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, 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
Original Version
This page covers a cover recording of the song. See the original: Reckless Love by Cory Asbury lyrics.
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
This arrangement of “Reckless Love” opens with an intro and moves through two verses, each followed by the chorus and an instrumental break. Those pauses leave room for a congregation to take in the words between sections. The bridge carries a note to repeat four times, and its two long lines, “There's no shadow You won't light up” and “There's no wall You won't kick down,” build through that repetition into a final chorus.
Thematically, the lyrics describe God's love as an active search. The shepherd who “leaves the ninety-nine” recalls Jesus' parable in Luke 15, and the lines about shadow and walls fit the psalmist's claim that darkness is not dark to God. The second verse adds that this love reached a person who was “Your foe,” which matches Paul's teaching that grace is given before any merit exists. Taken together, the sections present rescue as something God carries out, with the singer receiving it as a gift.
Related Scripture
- Luke 15:4-7 Jesus tells of a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to find one that is lost.
- Psalm 139:11-12 The psalmist says darkness is not dark to God and night shines like day.
- Romans 5:8 Paul writes that Christ died for sinners while they were still sinners.