Eternal Father, Strong to Save, ELW 756
1 Eternal Father, strong to save, whose arm has bound the restless wave, who bade the mighty ocean deep it 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 and praise from land and sea.
Devotion
I did my internship near Ft. Huachuca, an army base in southeastern Arizona in a town called Sierra Vista. My hiking partner was a 70-year-old retired navy man named Fritz, who was and probably still is in much better shape than I am today. This hymn was Fritz's favorite because it is a navy hymn, known for its line "Oh, hear us when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea." Fritz was only one of a handful of navy guys in an army town, so when we would sing this in church, he would be sure to belt it out. It is a song of trust and guidance, a song that echoes Peter's cries in the Gospel: "Lord, save me!" Though armies and navies and other forces protect us, this hymn reminds us that our saving comes from God.
Prayer
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.
Amen.