[Photo: Boston Globe]
The navy hymn (Originally a poem written in 1860)
Eternal Father, Strong to save
Whose arm hathbound the restless wave,
Who bid’st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O 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;
O 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!
Context for this is Mark 4:35-41 and Matt 14:22-33 . We generally broaden the storm account into a metaphor for storms of life, so one can easily associate our storms with “perils on the sea”.
Right Ring 