This hymn, popularly known as the Navy Hymn, petitions God to save “those in peril on the sea” . . . a testament to God’s sovereignty and our faith in the One who made heaven and earth and all other things.
Eternal Father, Strong to Save is perhaps the most famous mariners’ hymn. It was written in 1869 by a little known song writer from London, William Whiting. The composer was a master at an Anglican school for musicians and wrote several hymns. However this hymn is the only one for which he is known. Reportedly, Whiting wrote it as a prayer for a friend who was sailing for America.
Eternal Father was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s favorite hymn and was sung at his funeral. Its solemn strains were played as the casket of President John F. Kennedy was carried into the U.S. Capitol to lie in state. The hymn is often called the “Navy Hymn” because of its association with the Naval Academy.
The music was written by the famous composer John B. Dukes. He named the tune MELITA after the island where Paul was shipwrecked as recorded in Acts 27. There were four original verses written by Whiting. In later years, other writers have added additional verses. The four original verses will be the subject of our meditation and are as follows.
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd’st 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! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked’st on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe’er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.
In studying these four verses, the following points are fairly clear.
- Each verse is a prayer involving the sea.
- The first verse is a request of God, the Father.
- The second verse is a request of Jesus, the Son.
- The third verse is a request of the Holy Spirit.
- The fourth verse is a request of the Trinity (three in one).
Each request (petition) is for a mighty, supernatural act involving forces that are beyond the control of man. Let’s identify a couple of examples:
- keeping the oceans within their bounds,
- walking on the water, and
- protection from rock, tempest, fire and foe.
Certainly, there is a belief behind these requests. The hymn writer would have to believe that the ones to whom the petitions are directed would be able to deliver. If he didn’t believe that, then his prayer would make no sense. So, I conclude that Whiting (and anyone repeating/singing the words to this prayer as a prayer) believed in the supernatural, all-powerful God.
The sovereignty of God
As we shall see shortly, this characteristic of being all-powerful is a critical component of the sovereignty of God. This concept (sovereignty) is foundational to the Christian faith and will be subject of this meditation.
J. I. Packer explains the connection between prayer and sovereignty very well in his book entitled Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God.
In prayer, you ask for things and give thanks for things. Why? Because you recognize that God is the author and source of all the good that you have had already, and all the good that you hope for in the future. In effect, therefore, what we do every time we pray is to confess our own impotence and God’s sovereignty.
James Montgomery Boice was pastor of the Tenth Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for 30 years until his death in 2000 and he is still heard on The Bible Study Hour. He is the author of numerous Christian books. He received a Bachelor of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Theology from the University of Basil in Switzerland. Regarding the sovereignty of God, Boice stated the following:
He has absolute authority and rule over his creation. In order to be sovereign, God must be all-knowing, all-powerful, and absolutely free. If he were limited in any of these areas, he would not be entirely sovereign. So the doctrine of the sovereignty of God is no mere philosophical dogma devoid of practical value. Rather it is the doctrine that gives meaning and substance to all other doctrines.
Boice concludes that it is “the Christian’s strength and comfort amid the storms of this life.”
Arthur Pink calls belief in the sovereignty of God “the foundation of Christian theology…the center of gravity in the system of Christian truth…the sun around which all the lesser orbs are grouped.”
The Bible on God’s sovereignty
Perhaps a good way to complete our examination of the sovereignty of God is to see what the Bible has to say about this very important and foundational subject. First, we will present 7 biblical examples from the Old and New Testaments involving the power of God and Jesus over the waters/sea. Then we will conclude with a few general passages about God’s sovereignty.
- In the beginning, God’s Spirit was “hovering” over the waters. (Genesis 1:2)
- God separated the land from the sea. (Genesis 1:9)
- God parted the Red Sea for His people. (Exodus 15:19)
- When Jonah was thrown overboard the raging sea grew calm and God provided a great fish to swallow Jonah and save him. (Jonah 1:16 – 17)
- The disciples in the boat saw Jesus walking on water toward them. (John 6:19)
- Jesus commanded the winds and the waves to cease. (Matthew 8:23 – 27)
- Jesus accomplished a great catch of fish (twice). (Luke 5:1 – 6 and John 21:6)
Now, I would like for us to conclude by examining a few passages that help explain the overall concept of the sovereignty God.
We will begin at the beginning!
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
This is the first sentence in the Bible and we believe it through faith, not scientific proof. Hebrews 11:3 says that “by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command.” He brought it all into being, therefore He is sovereign over His creation…He controls it.
About 3,000 stars are visible to the unaided eye on a clear moonless night. About 100,000 stars can be seen using a small telescope.
There are an estimated one hundred billion (100,000,000,000) stars in our own Milky Way galaxy.
Therefore, a very rough estimate of the total number of stars is around ten billion trillion. God put them all in place according to Genesis 1:16.
The psalmist expressed it this way in Psalm 33: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.”
In Isaiah 46, God is speaking through the prophet and He reminds us that all other gods are manmade. They do not answer our cries because they cannot. They have no power to save. On the other hand, the prophet describes our God as follows.
Remember this, keep it in mind,
Isaiah 46:8-11
take it to heart, you rebels.
Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, “My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.”
Here is what the Bible has to say about luck: “the lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:33)
When Moses was complaining to God that he was not a good speaker and therefore not a good choice for God to use to rescue His people, God answered as follows. (Exodus 4:10 – 12)
The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
Exodus 4: 10-12
Closely connected to this example is the encounter with the blind man in John chapter 9. The disciples asked Jesus why the man was born blind. They indicated it must have been either due to his own sin or the sins of his parents. Consider this astonishing answer.
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
John 9:3
Finally, the murder of the Son of God is certainly one of, if not, the worst crimes (sins) in the history of the world. But, praying in the Holy Spirit about this event, Peter and John said the following.
Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
Acts 4: 27-28
In other words, it was the sovereignty of God that resulted in the death of His own beloved Son!
Many other passages could be cited regarding the sovereignty of God . . . but time does not permit that here. Instead, we conclude with some thoughts from Dr. Boice regarding the reasons this concept is so critical to the Christian faith.
First, God’s sovereignty means that He is both believable and should be held in awe. He is to be worshipped and respected above all things. If God were not sovereign, how could we believe in Him?
Second, God’s sovereignty provides comfort in the midst of trials. We can stand on Romans 8:28 during the most difficult trials.
Third, God’s sovereignty provides hope for our evangelism. We can’t change the hearts of others. Only our sovereign God can do that. If He were not able to accomplish that miracle, what hope would there be for a lost world…our lost loved ones?
Fourth, God’s sovereignty provides us with an unshakeable sense of security. If I have to depend on my own resources for my security, I am in deep trouble!
Closing prayer
In closing I would like to use this prayer from Jude which is illustrative of God’s sovereignty.
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!
Jude 1: 24
Amen.
Hymns for Him 