Faith, Art, and Government 3

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Today I would like to share one last group of Navy posters. These posters are from a series called, “They That Go to Sea.” Joseph Binder produced these in 1963 for what the Library of Congress terms “the religious program of the Navy.”

The words “They that go to sea” are based on the King James translation of Psalm 107:23. That verse begins a comforting passage which describes God’s power over the great waters and those who sail on them. Here is that passage.

Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;

They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They rose up to the heavens,
they went down to the depths;
Their soul melted away in their misery.
They reeled and staggered
like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the Lord
in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad
because they were quiet,
He guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord
for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
Let them extol Him also
in the congregation of the people,
And praise Him at the seat of the elders.
Psalm 107:23-32 NASB

Another poster in the “They That Go to Sea” series illustrates a verse from Psalm 89.

Thou rulest the raging of the sea:
when the waves thereof arise,
thou stillest them.
Psalm 89:9 KJV

Another poster honors the fourth of the Ten Commandments:

Remember the sabbath day,
to keep it holy.
Exodus 20:8

Another honors Jesus Christ:

Jesus said to him,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father
but through Me.”
John 14:6

And this one speaks of our assurance in Jesus.

This hope we have
as an anchor of the soul,
a hope both sure and steadfast . . .
Hebrews 6:19a

We shouldn’t think that all examples of faith, art, and government are in the past. When Ray and I visited the Air Force Academy chapel in Colorado Springs in 2017, we saw this beautiful sign at the front of the chapel.

Be still, and know that I am God . . .
Psalm 46:10a

All vintage posters are courtesy of the Library of Congress.

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