Introductory Note:
The kingdom of God is a wonderful place to discover. Today, I want to share a memorable poem by the great navigator, seaman, and explorer Sir Francis Drake to express our deepest longings for the new country. Let these words roll around your mind for a while and you are likely to find them energizing and inspiring, and even intoxicating.
James Catford
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.
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 horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
Attributed — Sir Francis Drake — 1577
