Why in the world would we ever pray with Sir Francis Drake and offer this prayer? Disturb us?
Isn't life disturbing enough and don't we spend enough time trying to smooth out the day? Maybe there is something very special, even holy, in asking God into our lives--which cannot help but stir us up to move toward him. Perhaps Drake loved life on the sea because it is so mobile, flexible and offers such great vision--the horizon is always before you.
“Disturb
us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little,
when we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess,
we have lost our thirst for the waters of life,
having fallen in love with
life, we have ceased to dream of eternity,
and in our efforts to build a new
earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas,
where storms will show
your mastery,
where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back
the horizon of our hopes,
and to push us into the future in strength,
courage, hope, and love.
This
we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ. ”
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