Next time out I plan on starting up a new series on Christian Unity that I’m looking forward to with much anticipation. Until then, here’s a prayer from Sir Francis Drake for those of us who too naturally stumble into the unbelieving stance of being “at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1). May God awaken His people through the Spirit of Christ.
“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 horizons of our hopes, and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.” (Sir Francis Drake, 1577, cited in John Armstrong, Your Church is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church, p. 191)
