Navy Hymn by William Whiting

Navy Hymn

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.
--William Whiting

Karen's alternate version:
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 master at whose wild command
The earth moves forth with splendor grand
O'er plains and rocky cliffs so steep
We pray thee guard thy wandering sheep.
Oh hear our plea, hold in thy hand
All those in peril on the land.

Thou keeper of the souls of men
We ask they blessed hand to lend
Us strength for days of toil and strife
And bring on us immortal life
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

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 the watchful care
From every peril in the air.

Almighty ruler of the all
Whose power extends to great and small,
Who guides the stars with steadfast law,
Whose least creation fills with awe—
Oh grant Thy mercy and Thy grace
To those who venture into space.

Almighty God 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 praise from space, air, land and sea.

Here is a poem for Memorial Day. We'll be praying for all those who are out there fighting for cause they believe in. We'll be praying that peace can be restored and that they can get home safely.

The original version of this song, shown first, is known as the Navy Hymn for obvious reasons. There are a gazillion alternate verses for every part of the military and also specific situations. The Wikipedia article has a smattering of them, but it is by no means definitive. I've cobbled together my favorite verses from various sources--surprised that none of the versions I have in my music collection matches my ideal--I was sure that I was remembering it, and it seems it's just a mish-mash of other versions. Just to be clear, I am not claiming that I wrote any of those verses, but I can't find attributions for any of them except the space verse which was written by Robert Heinlein, and is a beautiful addition. If you want to hear the tune, you can click here.