When was the last time you prayed a dangerous prayer? For me, I have not prayed a dangerous prayer in a while because I’m too comfortable. But, I follow a radical Radical Rabbi, named Jesus, but I hang the Do Not Disturb sign on the door of my life because I like my privacy. I like my comfort. I like safety. I like the existing conditions or state of affairs. I don’t like my status quo living being interrupted by big dreams, deep waters of radical obedience, the rough seas of suffering, and the deep waters and dark nights of uncertain adventures. Also, I wonder if some of these obstacles keep me from praying dangerous prayers. So, as I was reading the other day, I ran across a prayer that quaked my comfortable world. Written by Sir Frances Drake (explorer and naval pioneer during the Elizabethan era), this is one of the most dangerous and disturbing prayers I have ever read. I want to share it with you, in hopes, it will bother you as much as it did me.
Here’s the prayer:
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 have 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 prayer affected my spiritual equilibrium so much that I had to stop for a moment and try to understand what I was asking God. So, I want you to read the prayer again. Don’t just gloss over the words. Sit with it for a minute and spend time dissecting and parsing its content.
What part of the prayer struck a cord with you?
Then by faith, ask God to help you identify “smooth sailing areas of your life. Next, ask him to disturb the places in your life where you are too safe, comfortable and settled. I know I have been sailing too close to shore lately and need to be shaken out of my slumber of faithlessness and fear.
Jesus, my Radical Rabbi, by faith, I am asking you to disturb my placid waters and move me to bold action. Amen
Turn Your Minutes into Moments
In what areas of your life have you become too comfortable and need to pray: “Lord, disturb me?”
What frightens you about this prayer? Excites you about this prayer?
Will you, by faith, pray this prayer for the next seven days and let the Lord disturb some areas of your life?
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