Disturb Us Lord.

I have read this poem/prayer before and wondered how a “pirate” like Sir Francis Drake could have written something so deeply spiritual and so appropriate for the modern Christian.  It’s natural to long for a comfortable life.  But isn’t the Christian life supposed to be something UN-natural, SUPER-natural?  Our spirit is essentially at war with our human nature.  Who can pray this prayer with sincerity and not fear that their prayers would indeed be answered?

“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 arrived 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.

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Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,

To venture on wilder seas

Where storms will show Your mastery;

Where losing sight of land,

We shall find the stars.

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We ask You to push back

The horizons of our hopes;

And to push back the future

In strength, courage, hope, and love.

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This we ask in the name of our Captain,

Who is Jesus Christ

~Sir Francis Drake

Linda Vista, San Jose, Costa Rica