Did the
author know his original words would spark the thoughts of at least five other
poets in the century after he penned his own? That fact alone tells us that
William Whiting’s creativity would be a lasting statement, which was really a
prayer that he was making when he called out “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”
in 1860 in Winchester, England (see this period depiction of that place in the
mid-19th Century, as it may have appeared to William Whiting and the
boys he mentored at the College Choristers’ School, in southern England). What William
had to say must have lodged in the imagination of those other writers as they
considered their own circumstances, or maybe those of others who were wearing a
uniform of military service and encountering danger. It’s been said ‘there’s no
atheist in the foxhole on a battlefield’, and the same may be said of others
who engage in similarly perilous ventures.
William Whiting
was 35 when he wrote the original verses that called out to his Eternal Father,
on the occasion of a young student of his who was preparing to sail to America.
This episode illustrated the close camaraderie that Whiting and the students whom
he mentored at the Winchester-based school had developed, a relationship that may
have repeated itself in many ways over the generation that William had been at
this institution. Eighteen years had already passed since he’d taken the reins
of leadership of the college’s musical program, so he had already taught many boys
the art of singing, and evidently something about faith, too. As one of the
boys made ready to set sail for the east coast of North America, the stories of
such a journey and its hazards – still present in the mid-19th
Century – must have caused more than a little anxiety, so William offered a measure
of encouragement to him and the other boys. He didn’t speak of his own experience
on the seas – it’s unknown if he in fact had any to draw upon. Instead, he
taught the boys to lean upon someone else – the Eternal God, the Creator of the
sea that now presented itself to the uneasy one about to set sail. Whiting’s
reputation among the boys evidently met with approval by the school’s
authorities, for he would be there another 18 years, continuing what we see in
this incident or other various forms of it for many more years. When he penned
these words of reassurance in 1860, William was really just halfway through what
would constitute the bulk of his life’s work.
Not much
more is known of William Whiting, although a handful of musical texts and two
books of poetry are attributed to him. William completed his own journey in
1878, some might say prematurely at just 53 years of age. But, he made an
impact. He showed boys growing into manhood that it’s okay to admit one’s
dependence on another source for protection, that I can ‘cry to Thee’ (v.1) when
I’m afraid. That verbalization – crying to Thee – is in fact the most often-used
phrase in Whiting’s lexicon of this song. It’s all right to cower a bit, he
suggests. But, I needn’t quake irrationally, because He is also there. William
must have said this to many boys across 36 years of service at Winchester. He’s
still saying it today, really. This message resonated with an American
president and an English prime minister aboard a ship in 1941, testifying to
its potency. If wars continue, you and I may hear William’s words yet again.
And, He’ll still be there to calm us.
See more
information on the song story in these sources: The Complete Book of
Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J.
Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; 101 More Hymn
Stories, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1985; and Then Sings
My Soul – 150 of the World’s Greatest Hymn Stories, Robert J. Morgan,
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003.
Also see this link, showing all four original verses, as well
as six alternate verses: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/e/t/e/eternalf.htm
See this link for information about the primary author: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/w/h/i/t/i/whiting_w.htm
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