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
This very popular Irish hymn from the 8th century reminds us of the wisdom of Proverbs 29:18: “where there is no vision, the people perish.” Joel 2:28 speaks about the promised outpouring of the Spirit: “Then afterward, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”
Having both sets of words in our hearts and minds, when joined to the hymn tune, SLANE (also for another very uplifting hymn, “Lord of All Hopefulness,” ELW 765), brings a great richness to our worship experience and confidence for the living of each day.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of music. Our lives are enriched by the blessing and wonder of beautiful sounds and thoughtful words. We are grateful for all who dedicate their time to studying music and sharing its beauty with others. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.