The
seamen go down to the sea in their great ships,
following
the shipping lines through the transient waters
Business
they call it, but it is actually adventure to exotic lands
Tarshish,
Sardinia, Tora Bora, Vancouver
And they
find God there in the vastness,
in the mysteries of the depths of the ocean
in the mysteries of the depths of the ocean
They
find God in the broad night sky and
the silent breezes of the noonday
the silent breezes of the noonday
He may
blow the wind and cast the waves
as high
as heaven: he is king over the flood
The
ships ride up with them, and fall into the trenches
Their
hearts melt in fear, their vessels reeling to and fro
Staggering
like a boy from a pub
They are
pushed to the ends of faith
So they
cry out to God, Save us Lord
else
we perish -- and he hears their fears
He
commands the storm, Peace! be still
The
waves settle down
And they
are glad
because
they have found stillness
The
signal is lowered,
the ship
is secure,
And he
brings them home again.