The Prayer of Francis Drake

Francis Drake was one of England’s most famous sailors. He was reportedly a privateer and slave-trader before becoming a naval officer. Known to be a committed Anglican, he was also nicknamed the Devon Dog of England.

Essentially, he was part naval officer and part pirate. As a friend to Queen Elizabeth, he was sent out on excursions to the Spanish Mains in the Caribbean to raid the town and commandeer Spanish gold ships. He was the first English leader to circumnavigate the world, was knighted by the queen, and appointed Vice Admiral of the English fleet. He is one of the history’s great naval heroes; except to the Spanish.

The following prayer from Drake was discovered in the ship’s diary.

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.

 

(Image source http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/g/gheeraer/f_drake.html)