Disturb Us, Lord...
Sometimes when we go through difficult times in life, it's easy to just want to hang one of those signs around your neck from the back of your hotel door that says "Do Not Disturb." Just leave me alone, and let me get through this.
Other times, it's the things that happen to us that are "disturbing the peace" of our lives and frustrating us most. Can't we just make it through another day without having a fire to put out or a problem to solve?
But the reality is, it rarely works that way. Life is often...disturbing. Trouble comes, things don't go as we planned, and there always seems to be something that needs fixing. But if we pay attention, we very well may discover that there is a reason for all the disturbance. God is working behind the scenes to push us out of our comfort zones, and move us from our routines, on purpose and for a purpose. And as much as we tend to like comfort and control, our faith usually grows more when we are uncomfortable and out of control.
You probably remember studying Sir Francis Drake from your history classes. He was a 16th century British explorer best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580. I am sure he learned in his adventures the old adage that "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." This is a prayer attributed to Drake, before he departed to the west coast of South America:
"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 horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love."
Ever the adventurer, Drake had a unique perspective we can all learn from. We are all called to be content, in Christ, but complacency can be one of the most dangerous temptations of the Christian life. It is such a fine balance to be content without being complacent. To be comforted, without being comfortable.
I always appreciated how the late, great Vance Havner used to describe his ministry, and really the ministry of the Bible as a whole. His calling, he said was "to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable."
"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion," the prophet Amos wrote (6:1). He was saying, as much as we desire comfort, it is not good for us in the end. His prayer for God's people was that the Lord would shake them, make them a little "uneasy," and yes, even disturb them.
Are you willing to pray that as well? Disturb us, Lord...
I am grateful to be your pastor, and I am praying for you this week. I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
