Be Thou My Vision

[bluidkiti]

"Be Thou My Vision," ELW 793

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.

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.

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.

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.

I admit that I've only recently become a fan of this hymn. Several years ago I was planning worship and choosing the hymns. I played this song on my computer and was singing along. That was one of the first times I really felt my baby moving, almost dancing, in my womb. After she was born I would sing it to her as a lullaby and as she got older she would request, "Be bow my bision."

In this song we pray that God would be our vision, the lens through which we see everything else, as well as our main focus. In this world that gives us so many options and choices, may God be the first in our hearts. In the world of both plenty and want, may God be our true treasure. In this world that pulls us this way and that, may it be our prayer that God be our vision.

Great God of heaven, be our vision that we not lose sight of your love and your grace. Amen.

Julie M. Blum