A general Prayer for Mariners and People at Sea
O ETERNAL God, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind, who art glorious in power, and of majes ty incomprehensible, we adore thee as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. By thy word were the heavens made, and all their host by the breath of thy mouth. Thou gavest to the sea thy decree, that the waters should obey thy commandment. Thou, O God, art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them who are afar ofl' upon the sea. We humbly ask for thy blessing upon our selves, and upon all for whom we ought to pray, and especially upon them who go down to the sea in ships, and do business upon the great waters of the ocean. They see thy works and thy wonders in the deep. At thy command the stormy winds arise, and the floods lift up their voice. The waves of the sea are mighty; they rage and swell; but thou, Lord, who dwellest on high, art mightier. Thou rulest the raging of the deep, and when its waves arise thou stillest them. We humbly im plore thy blessing and providential care for all who are exposed to the perils of the ocean, and are borne upon its mighty waves. Give them, we beseech thee, a lively sense of thy providential care, and of the wonders which thou dost for the children of men. Help them to know thy unspeakable love in the redemption of mankind by Jesus Christ. At all times, and in every peril and distress, may they look unto thee, as the Lord God of their salvation, who spreadest out the heavens, and rulest the raging of the sea, and art a present help in every time of need.
Grant them a pious trust in thy kind protecting providence. While we in greater safety enjoy thy blessings on these peaceful shores, may we feel for those who are deprived of the privileges of thy house and sanctuary. O hear our prayers for them, who for the mutual benefit of distant climes, and to multiply the blessings of life, encounter the perils of the sea. In storms and tempests; in every danger and all distress, be thou their help and comfort. Preserve them from sickness; from ship wreck; from the violence of enemies, and from every evil to which they be exposed. Prosper them in the business and the occupation in which they may be engaged. Conduct them in safety to the countries and havens where they desire to be ; and in thy good time conduct them to their homes, their families and friends, in prosperity and peace; and dispose them, we beseech thee, to be thankful for thy goodness, and to live to thy praise. These things, O heavenly Father, and whatever thou shalt see to be necessary or convenient for their present happiness and their eternal good, we humbly ask in the name and through the mediation of Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and Savior.
Amen.
