Writer James Rowe (1865-1933) was born in England, the son
of a copper miner. He immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1889 and
settled at Albany, NY, where he married. After working as a railroad employee
for a time, he worked at the Hudson Rover Humane Society. He found he had a
knack for writing both serious and humorous verses for greeting cards and
eventually went into business working with his artist-daughter to produce
material for greeting card publishers.
Howard E. Smith, who was born probably in the state of
Connecticut in 1863, suffered from arthritis so bad that his hands were
terribly twisted. Very little is known about Smith except he was an active
musician throughout his life and served many years as an organist in
Connecticut. Although he produced a number of hymn tunes, only this one has
become well known.
Rowe reminds us of the “redemption from sin by our Savior”
in the first verse of this hymn. The second verse shows “the charge in our walk
as we owe Him our sing, our service, our whole heart.” The last verse is a “witness
to the loss.”
Rowe’s text was inspired by two biblical stories. The first
is from Matthew (14:22-33), where the disciples were in a boat in the middle of
a frightening storm. They saw Jesus walking on the sea. He commanded Peter to
join Him, and Peter also began walking on the water toward Jesus. The storm
scared Peter and he began to sink, calling out to Jesus to save him. Jesus
caught Peter by the hand and lifted him up as they got into the boat.
The second story is from Matthew 8:23-27, in which Jesus is
asleep in the boat while the disciples are alarmed by a powerful storm
threatening to throw them all into the sea. They wake Jesus and ask Him to help
them. Jesus rebukes the storm, and the disciples thank Him.
Rowe’s hymn masterfully incorporates both stories, using
sinking into the sea as an illustration for “sinking deep in sin . . . sinking
to rise no more.” Jesus, “Master of the sea,” hears our pleas for help,
reaching out to us in love, and lifts us up into the well-being of grace.
Verse One tells what our spiritual state was before we were
saved and what Jesus did to rescue us. Verse Two tells us what we had to do to be
saved—give Him our hearts in obedience to His will, and Verse Three tells us
what we must do because we are saved--we must tell the good news to others and
seek to save them too.
Biblehub.com, The Treasury of David: A cry is the natural expression of sorrow and is a suitable utterance when all other modes of appeal fails; but the cry must be alone directed to the Lord, for to cry to man is to waste our entreaties upon the air. When we consider the readiness of the Lord to hear, and His ability to aid, we shall see good reason for directing all our appeals at once to the God of our salvation and shall use language of firm resolve like that in the text, “I will cry.”
Studylight.org, Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible: The
Psalmist begins by declaring that he would betake himself to the help of God
alone, which shows both his faith and his sincerity. Although men labor
everywhere under a multitude of troubles, yet scarcely one in a hundred ever
has recourse to God . . . By calling God his strength, David more fully shows
that he confided in God’s assistance, not only when he was in the shade and in
peace, but also when he was exposed to the severest temptations.
Studylight.org, Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Bible: We may be forever singing God’s mercies, and yet the subject will not be drawn dry. We must sing of God’s mercies as long as we live, train up others to sing of them when we are gone, and hope to be singing them in heaven without end; and this is singing of the mercies of the Lord forever. With my mouth, and with my pen, will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations . . . that God is true to every word that He has spoken, that they may learn to put their trust in God.
Studylight.org, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: Every word carries in it something very encouraging to the church and people of God; and is an antidote against those fears and faintings they are subject to; Christ “is in the midst of” them; near at hand to support and supply them, to assist and strengthen them, to protect and defend them; He is not only near by His essential presence, which is everywhere; and by His providential presence, which is concerned with all His creatures; but by His gracious presence, peculiar to His church and people; and which gives them unspeakable joy . . .He is as willing to save as He is able . . . He has wrought out salvation for them, and sees that it is applied unto them, and will come again to put them into the full possession of it . . . He saved them freely, fully, and everlasting.
Bibleref.com: He addresses the Lord as a shield around him, his glory, and the lifter up of his head. Just as a shield protects a warrior from swords, arrows and darts . . . so David envisions the Lord protecting him from his enemies. This is the same confidence David expressed as a youth when he confronted Goliath . . . “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand . . . For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hand.”
