Disturb Us

Several years ago, I posted this poem – believed to be written by the English sea captain and privateer, Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596) – and I thought it was worthy of of a repeat appearance.

Disturb us O Lord when
We are too well pleased with ourselves
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore

Disturb us O 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 O 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 horizons of our hopes
And to push us in the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain
Who is Jesus Christ.