Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou My Vision has to be one of my favorite songs. It ranks right up there with How Great Thou Art and Great is Thy Faithfulness.

Men lack vision. Our best 'seeing' is often only hope for next week or next month. Some people have enough 'foresight' to plan well enough to pay for their children's higher education or have a materially secure retirement for their sunset years. But this alone is a lack of vision. What kind of 'vision' do we have for our children and our grandchildren and their children after that? What kind of faith will our descendents a hundred and fifty years from now have because of the vision that we had? Will those descendents love God? Or will they seek after wealth and other perishable wreaths?

Be Thou My Vision. The line, 'Thou and Thou only first in my heart' is always the toughest to sing, because I never want to be lying or half-truthful as I sing it. Almost every time, that phrase never makes its way out of my voice box. If I can destroy all sense of 'possessing', someday I might be able to sing the whole song with a pure heart.


Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.