The radio program was founded by Paul Myers, a Los Angeles
radio personality and station manager. He credited the founding of Haven to
hitting rock bottom: kicked out by his wife and passed out on a beach during a
drunken bender. He was awakened by a ship’s bell and heard it ring out eight
times at 4 a.m., signaling “all’s well.”
It was Sunday morning and Myers knew that all was not well
with him. He got up and spent his last pennies on a small breakfast instead of
more alcohol and went to church. He was turned away because of his appearance
but went back to his cheap hotel room and started reading the Gideon’s Bible.
That day he met Jesus.
After returning to his wife and family, Myers shared his
new-found faith. He founded a Christian radio program called, “Haven of Rest”
that began each program with the words he heard the day of his salvation: “AHOY
THERE SHIPMATE … EIGHT BELLS AND ALL’S WELL.”
Today, the daily broadcast airs on more than 650 stations in
North America and around the world with a daily listenership of over 500,000.
Although not listed anywhere, I believe he must have been
familiar with the hymn “The Haven of Rest.” The first verse pictures the soul
as being in exile on life’s sea, and many people we know are in that condition
today.
The writer of “The Haven of Rest” was Henry Lake Gilmour who
lived in the United Kingdom. Born in 1836 at Londonderry, Ireland, he emigrated
to America as a teenager, thinking he wanted to learn navigation. When he
reached the United States, he landed in Philadelphia and decided to seek his fortune
in America.
He started working as a painter, then served in the America Civil
War, where he was captured and spent several months in Libby Prison, Richmond
VA.
After the war he trained as a dentist and did that for many
years. He married Letitia Pauline Howard in 1858. In 1869 he moved to New
Jersey and helped found the Methodist church. He served as Sunday School Superintendent
and, for four decades, directed the choir at the Pittman Grove Camp Meeting,
also working as song leader at camp meetings in Mountain Lake Park, Maryland,
and Ridgeview Park, Pennsylvania.
There are no accounts of when he wrote this hymn. Gilmour
was an editor, author, and composer, editing and/or publisher of 25 gospel song
books. Gilmour died in Delair, New Jersey, after a buggy accident.
The tune for “The Haven of Rest” was composed by George D.
Moore. He was born in the 1800s and died in the 1900s. He was an itinerant
evangelist in New Jersey, Pennsylvania in the latter 1800s.
Christianity.com, Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary: As God finished His work, and then rested from it, so He will cause those who believe, to finish their work, and then to enjoy their rest. This rest is, a rest of grace, and comfort, and holiness, in the gospel state. And a rest in glory, where the people of God shall enjoy the end of their faith, and the object of all their desires. The rest . . . is a heavenly rest, which remains to the people of God, and is opposed to a state of labor and trouble in this work. It is the rest they shall obtain when the Lord Jesus shall appear from heaven . . . God has always declared man’s rest to be in Him, and His love to be the only real happiness of the soul; and faith in His promises, through His Son, to be the only way of entering that rest.
Biblehub.com, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers: A beautiful image, introduced for a moment only to set forth the security of the soul, though tossed by the waves of trouble. This symbol of hope, so familiar to us in Christian art, is not mentioned in the Old Testament, but is found in Greek proverbial sayings, and (it is said) appears on ancient coins.
Studylight.com, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible: Hope is the great anchor, or stabilizer, of the human soul; and that hope for the Christian is Christ the Lord, who has entered into that which is beyond the veil, that is, into heaven itself; and this corresponds to the actions of the ancient high priest who was typical of Christ in that he went into the Holy of Holies, behind the veil, in the tabernacle. The aptness of the figure of an anchor appears in the fact that an anchor is not doing any good at all as long as it is visible. It is only when it disappears in the deep beneath that it stabilizes and protects the ship; how beautiful is the imagery of Christ’s also being out of sight from Christians, having disappeared into the unseen world, but who is nevertheless connected with Christians by the strong and effective cable of His love, just as the anchor, though unseen, is connected to the ship by a mighty chain.
Studylight.org, Clarke Commentary: Lest they should take a wrong meaning out of his words, as many have done since, He tells them that, far from any person being excluded from His mercy, it was the will of God that everyone who saw Him might believe and be saved. The power, without which they could not believe, He freely gave them; but the use of that power was their own. God gives the grace of repentance and faith to every man; but He neither repents nor believes for any man. Each must repent for his own sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus, through the grace given, or perish.
Studylight.org, Clarke’s Commentary: It is not slackness, remissness, nor want of due displacement at sin, that induced God to prolong the respite of ungodly men; but His long-suffering, His unwillingness that any should perish; and therefore He spared them, that they might have additional offers of grace, and be led to repentance to deplore their sins, implore God’s mercy, and find redemption through the blood of the Lamb.
Enduringword.com, David Guzik: The truth is that God will keep His promise, and without delay according to His timing. Any perceived delay from our perspective is due to the longsuffering of God, who allows man as much time as possible to repent . . . Many of those who are Christians today are happy that Jesus didn’t return ten years, or five years, or two years, or even two months ago. There is a compassionate purpose in God’s timing.
Studylight.org, Bridgeway Bible Commentary: Sin is not a characteristic of Christians, because Christ keeps them from coming under the power of Satan. Since they belong to God, their lives are different from those of worldly people. John repeats that Jesus Christ, the Son of God who died for sinners, is the true God and He gives believers eternal life
Studylight.org, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible: The New
English Bible stresses that the Christian’s safety is not of himself but of the
Lord. Jesus promised that He would be with His followers "even unto the
end of the world" and a glimpse of that providence is in this.
Studylight.org, Contending for the Faith: Jesus takes
watchful care of the Christian, guards him, and helps him to overcome the
temptations of sin. We can accomplish anything "through Christ who
strengthens us." The Christian has Someone on his side, a divine One.
There is great comfort in knowing that our security in spirituality does not
depend entirely on ourselves; we have the assistance of a divine helper. "The
Christian has an active enemy, but he has also a watchful Guardian"
(quoted by Barclay 144-145).
If your soul has never entered the haven of rest, now is the
time to do so. The Savior patiently waits and will save by His power
divine. "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and
secure." Hebrews 6:19.
