“Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” ELW 756 and LBW 467
1 Eternal Father, strong to save
whose arm has bound the restless wave,
who bade the mighty ocean deep
its own appointed limits keep:
oh, hear us when we cry to thee
for those in peril on the sea.
2 O Savior, whose almighty word
the winds and waves submissive heard,
who walked upon the foaming deep,
and calm amid the storm didst sleep:
oh, hear us when we cry to thee
for those in peril on the sea.
3 O 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.
4 O Trinity of love and pow’r,
all trav’lers guard in danger’s hour
from rock and tempest, fire and foe,
protect them where so e’er they go;
thus evermore shall rise to thee
glad hymns of praise from land and sea.
Devotion
Sailing season has begun. I live on the “west coast” of Lake Erie, so I enjoy watching regattas plying out to Put-In-Bay, a tiny scratch of rock off the shores of Sandusky, Ohio. Lake Erie in any weather is treacherous; being the shallowest of the Great Lakes, a gale can whip up in nothing flat.
Commonly known as the Navy Hymn, this hymn’s lyrics sing of the brooding Holy Spirit, who calms the watery chaos and bids the tumult cease. It ends with a cry for those in peril on the sea. The tune is the familiar “Melita,” which is Latin for Malta, that scratch of rock in the Mediterranean Sea where St. Paul was imperiled and shipwrecked.
On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit broods over the shipwrecks of our lives and brings us in to safe harbor. Regardless of the peril in which we sail, God is always there “to give, for wild confusion, peace.”
Prayer
Lord, pour out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Guide me through the perils of life with your brooding Spirit, whose presence brings peace and safety. Amen.