Be Thou My Vision (ELW 793)
1 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art:
thou my best thought both by day and by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
2 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tow’r,
raise thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.
3 Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise,
thou mine inheritance, now and always:
thou and thou only, the first in my heart,
great God of heaven, my treasure thou art.
4 Light of my soul, after victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Devotion
Being generous is an act of faith and trust in God. We are continually reminded in the scriptures and in our liturgy that all that we have comes from God—it is a gift and not our own. For my spouse and me, when we think about our desires for our children, we pray that they do not lose their identities in searching for wealth or status or the approval of others. We hope rather that they will be firmly rooted in their identity as children of God in Christ Jesus. Money comes and goes. Pleasing others only gives us short term satisfaction. The faith we have been given in Jesus—that’s a treasure worth sharing with others and, in our case, with our children. We pray that our churches continue to be places where children of God, of all ages, find a place where they can know they are loved, forgiven, and claimed as God’s beloved.
Prayer
Great God of heaven, help your people to understand that true joy comes not from wealth or status, but from a deep and abiding relationship with you. We pray that your churches will be communities overflowing with the good news of your son Jesus, sharing that news with those we are called to love and serve. Amen.