Eternal Father, Strong to Save

Almighty Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! the Lord of hill and plain,
O’er which our traffic runs amain,
By mountain pass or valley low;
Wherever, Lord, Thy brethren go,
Protect them by Thy guarding hand,
From every peril on the land!

O Spirit, whom the Father sent,
To spread abroad the firmament;
O wind of heaven, by Thy might,
Save all who dare the eagle’s flight.
And keep them by Thy watchful care,
From every peril in the air.

O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoever they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad praise from air and land and sea.

BIBLE REFERENCE:

And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?

Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! Matthew 8:23-27

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Psalm 91:1-9

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:20-21

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: Colossians 2:9-10

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Mathew 11:28

William Whiting - Lyrics
1825-1878

Born: November 1, 1825, Kensington, London, England.
Died: May 3, 1878, Winchester, Hampshire, England.
Buried: West Hill Cemetery, Winchester, Hampshire, England.

John Bacchus Dykes - Composer - 1823-1876

Born: March 10, 1823, Hull, England.
Died: January 22, 1876, Ticehurst, Sussex, England.
Buried: St. Oswald’s, Durham, England.

HYMN HISTORY:

“Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” or known to many as the “Navy Hymn,” has often been cited as the most popular hymn for travelers in the English language. It was written, in 1860, by William Whitting and has gone through numerous revisions to the present time. The hymn text was so well thought of, when it was written, that it was included in the 1861 edition of the highly regarded, Anglican Church hymnal, Hymns Ancient and Modern. It was set to the fine “Melita” tune, especially composed for it by one of England’s highly esteemed church musicians of the nineteen century, John B. Dykes. The present version is taken from the 1937 edition of the Missionary Service Book, where one of the editors, Robert Nelson Spencer, added the second and third stanzas to include a plea for God’s protection for those who travel by land and air as well as those on the high seas.

William Whiting was born on November 1, 1825, in London, England. Little is known of his life except that he was an Anglican churchman and that he held the position of headmaster at the Winchester College Choristers’ School, for thirty-five years. He published a book of poems, Rural Thoughts, in 1851 and wrote several other hymn texts no longer in use. William Whiting died at Winchester on May 3, 1878.

The composer, John Bacchus Dykes, was born on March 10, 1823, at Hull, England. Following his graduation from Cambridge University, in 1847, he became active in the ministry of the Church of England. In 1861, he was awarded the Doctorate of Music Degree from Durham University in recognition of his many musical accomplishments, including the writing of three hundred hymn tunes, many of which are still in use today.

It is generally believed that Whiting’s text was inspired by the vivid description of the sea’s dangers and God’s promised deliverances as recorded in Psalm 107:23-32:

They that go down to the seas in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

It should be noted that the the first three stanzas of this hymn are each addressed to a different member of the Godhead:

Stanza 1 – To the Father who created and controls the sea Job 38:10-11,

Stanza 2 – To the Son who has power to control the elements of nature Matthew 8:23-27,

Stanza 3 – To the Spirit, who at the creation of the world “Brooded over the face of the waters” Genesis 1.

The fourth stanza petitions the love and power of the entire Trinity and urges men everywhere to “Praise the Lord for His loving-kindness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men” Psalm 107:31.

101 More Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is a comfort to those who are in Christ and living in this stormy sinful world, and find themselves in peril, but then reflect on the fact that they have a Saviour to trust in and pray to, who knows what it is to be on the water, while the storms RAGE. Those who are passing with Christ over the ocean of this world must expect and experience storms. His human nature was like ours in every thing but sin, he was wearied, and he slept at the time of the storm to try the faith of his disciples. They, in their fear, came to their Master. This is how it is to us, in our humanity; that when lusts, fears and temptations are swelling and raging, that God is, as it were, asleep to it, and this brings us to the brink of despair. Then we long for a word from his mouth, Lord Jesus, be not silent to me, for I am in torment. Many that have true faith can be weak in it. Christ's disciples are apt to be disquieted with fears in a stormy day; to torment them selves that things are bad for them, and with dismal thoughts that, they will be worse. Great storms of doubt and fear that overwhelm the soul sometimes end in a wonderful calm, created and spoken by the Spirit of the Lord. The disciples were astonished. They never saw a storm so turned at once into a perfect calm. He that can do this can do any thing, which encourages confidence and comfort in him, in the most trying stormy day, within or without. Matthew 23-27.

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