The Jonathan Factor

I have been studying the story of Jonathan, son of King Saul, for a soon coming spring series on bold risk-taking. Jonathan's life was fairly short, but very impacting, because he stepped up and seized the moment and opportunity in front of him.  One of my favorite young preachers has said, "If the size of your vision isn't intimidating to you, it is insulting to God." Steven Furtick gets fairly consistent criticism for his audacious faith and bold risk-taking in the Name of Christ. But his stance is not new. In 1577 a revered follower of Christ named Sir Francis Drake went even further in his prayers. God help me.

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.
Sir Francis Drake -1577