Crossing the Bar

"The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar."

Literally, the poem begins at nighttime, and is set on the ocean; however, I believe it is all symbolic for a death bed. THe speaker begins by hearing God's call for him to leave Earth. He, like every other human, wishes that he could die painlessly. He doesn't want people to be sad when he leaves this Earth because he realizes that it's the natural cycle of life. The speaker simply hopes and prays that he can make it to heaven. He is not scared of death, rather, he has accepted it and is now anxious for the next life. I would say he's at peace with how he's lived his life and now he's excited for his next  life with God.