Hello my friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk-in-dox,
Welcoming you to another Let Deo Divina meditation and contemplation.
Today we're pausing to meditate not on scripture directly,
But on a poem that speaks deeply to the heart of our faith and calling.
Sir Francis Drake's Disturb Us Lord challenges us to confront the comfort zones we cling to and invites us to dream of a greater world,
A world that reflects the Kingdom of God.
Each of us has a longing to see change in the world.
We see brokenness,
Injustice and pain,
And deep inside we ache for something better.
But here's the truth we often resist.
For the world to change,
We must be willing to change.
Jesus understood this.
In teaching us to pray,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
He calls us not just to hope for change,
But to participate in it,
To be the instruments of God's will on earth means stepping into the unknown,
Moving beyond what feels safe or comfortable,
And daring to live the life of faith that builds this kingdom.
If we're going to see the Kingdom of God realised as Jesus spoke of it,
Then we're going to have to broaden our vision,
Dream bigger,
Strengthen our resolve,
And most of all put words into action.
Drake's poem reminds us of the courage it takes to truly embrace this calling.
He prays for disturbance.
That's a jarring request,
Isn't it?
Disturbance.
Because he knows that comfort can lull us into complacency.
We dream too small,
Love this world too much,
And play it too safe,
Staying close to the shore when God calls us to venture into deeper waters.
To see the Kingdom of God come alive in our midst,
We must leave behind the safety of what we know,
And trust that even when we lose sight of the land,
The stars will guide us forward.
This is not just about courage,
But about vision.
The vision to see the world as God sees it,
Full of potential for renewal and redemption.
It is God's vision,
But it is also ours,
For we've been invited to partner with God in it.
So as we meditate on these words,
Let's ask for boldness.
Let's pray to be disturbed,
Shaken out of our ease so that we might set sail on this great adventure of faith,
Joining God in transforming the world.
And so I invite you to sit,
Take a deep breath in,
And out.
Let your heart settle,
And prepare to listen to these words and let them guide you into God's invitation to dream boldly,
Live courageously,
And build God's Kingdom here on earth.
And so as always,
We ask God that you would open our ears to hear you clearly today.
Open our minds to think carefully about what it is that we hear from your voice.
Open our hearts to receive these words and allow the seeds of those words to be planted deeply so that they can bring forth beautiful fruit for your glory and for the Kingdom.
Let's begin.
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 a new heaven to dim.
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.
We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes and to push into the future in strength,
Courage,
Hope and love.
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 a new heaven to dim.
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.
We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes and to push into the future in strength,
Courage,
Hope and love.
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 a new heaven to dim.
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.
We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes and to push into the future in strength,
Courage,
Hope and love.
As we rise from this time of prayer,
May we go disturbed,
Disturbed enough to push away from the shore and allow God's spirit to fill our sails and take us where we need to be.
Disturbed enough to allow God to open our eyes to the vision of the new way of living and doing and being that we can participate in and therefore help to bring about God's will on earth as it is in heaven.
May we rise from this time of prayer filled with that strength,
Courage,
Hope and love that dwells in us because of the indwelling spirit of God themselves.
And may grace and peace go with us every step of the way,
Knowing that no matter how rough the seas may get,
God is with us.
Amen.
Grace and peace be with you,
My friend.
Until next time,
God bless you.
