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
I am a fan of Irish melodies and songs. The music seems to reach out to my soul. The words of this hymn also give voice to a desire within me to be close to God. I suppose that is no surprise since I am a pastor and there may even be a bit of Irish in my heritage.
Over the years of my life, I have found that God communicates most profoundly through music. I grew up surrounded by the hymns of the church. I experienced the compelling music of Bible camps and have sung in choirs from my childhood. Yet, I find that there are times that I can sing and not really hear the words in my heart. I pray that music will open your heart to the mysteries of how God can reveal Godself to you in music, in the scenery of the world around us, and most of all in worship. God is present and lives through your voice.
Prayer
Holy God, you speak to us in so many ways and open yourself to us that we may know you. By the power of your Holy Spirit open our hearts and minds to your loving presence. Amen.