Eternal Father, Strong to Save -- William Whiting

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-19^th 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-19^th 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