Be Thou My Vision, O Lord of My Heart
I believe contemporary worship music has its place. I do. My radio is tuned to it frequently. The lyrics comfort me and fill my heart with praise.
However, I am a bigger fan of old church hymns. They are a big part of my spiritual DNA. Besides communicating biblical truth, theology, and teaching doctrine, they unite a church congregation in worship and praise.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16).
We sang “Be Thou My Vision” in church recently. I hadn’t heard it in years and probably haven’t sung it since childhood. Yet, the tune and lyrics were there, lying dormant in my heart and brain all these years later. The words sprang to mind after only a few notes by the pianist.
Be Thou My Vision
As I sang this ancient Irish hymn, it became a tender love song to my Savior. By the time we finished, tears spilled from my eyes. So moved was I by this mountaintop experience, I wanted to learn more about the anthem.
The hymn is based on a beautiful 6th century poem by Irish poet Dallan Forgaill and reads like a prayer of supplication. The hymn beseeches God to be our Everything. Below are four lines of the hymn with links to Scripture which support their biblical soundness. (A few of the many.)
- “Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart” (Psalm 119:130; Matthew 4:16)
- “Be thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true word” (Proverbs 9:10; (James 1:5); (John 1:1; Romans 11:33)
- “Be Thou my great Father, I Thy true son” (Ephesians 1:5); (Romans 8:14-17)
- “Be Thou my battle shield, sword for the fight” (Psalm 3:3); (Ephesians 6:17); (Hebrews 4:12)
Since the Sunday I rediscovered that old hymn, my aim has been to start each day with the prayer: “Be Thou my vision as I go through this day.” Sometimes I forget amid the rush of life. That’s why the words are printed in my prayer journal, on a notecard stuck to my desk, and the refrigerator.
Many, many old great church hymns are in use today and I hope our younger generations get to know some of them. I’d love to hear your favorite(s) in the comments section below.
Enjoy the entire hymn here: Be Thou My Vision
Be Thou My Vision #churchhymns #christianliving Share on X
I’m fairly contemporary in my choice of Christian music, but there’s a memory when I hear a certain hymn that takes me back to a day almost fifty years ago. A young man who had drifted away from the Lord visited a service at the church I attended and was asked by the pastor to sing a song. He sang “How Great Thou Art.” During his song, the Holy Spirit convicted him. Before the end of the song, he was on his knees, repenting and rededicating his life to Christ!
Too many to name here Ms. Candyce, but the ones I know by heart are those that bring me comfort and peace because when I sing them, as tone deaf as I am, God draws near. I think the one I sing the most is “There’s Something About that Name”.
That’s a good one, JD. Singing is not a gift of mine either, but how I love to sing for Jesus. He doesn’t judge our singing, does he?
I’m like you, Candyce — I love contemporary praise songs but some of the classic hymns will always have a special place in my heart. My love for “Be Thou My Vision” took on new meaning at a Beth Moore conference years ago when she shared a story related to it and the entire arena full of women (and a few men! ;-)) sang it together.
Thanks for sharing that about Beth Moore. I’ve been to her conferences and feel a strong pull to her teaching and leading.
I love the old hymns, too, and Be Thou My Vision is one of my all-time favorite hymns! I love the words and the melody, too.
Thanks for responding, Kathy!
Oh my goodness to name my favorites. Amazing Grace, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, It is Well With My Soul. The list goes on and on! I’m good with contemporary music in the car.
The list does go on and on. Our love of old church hymns is probably generational.
I enjoy Christian contemporary too,
Most of the time, I prefer contemporary Christian music but several of the old Hymns always touch my soul. I think mostly because I remember times of singing them in special places and situations. This one is one of the true beautiful classics. Thanks Candyce
I’m listening to contemporary Christian music right now. I think you’re right that our love of these old hymns is related to singing them during the formative years of growing our faith.
Candyce, I, too, love the old hymns chalked full of deep spiritual truth. My Hope is Built, Blessed Assurance, How Great Thou Art, and It is Well with My Soul are my favorites.
How Great Thou Art and It is Well with My Soul are both on my playlists. Listening to them usually will chase away any anxiety or worries I have. Thanks for sharing your favorites.
I enjoy contemporary music, but like you, my most favorite hymns are the traditional ones and I have so many that I love. For the sake of brevity, I’ll share two, “Amazing Grace” and “Blessed Assurance.” Thank you for reminding us of the joy and worship we experience when we sing these hymns of faith ad praise.
Those are two great hymns, Katherine. I feel these hymns connect us to God when we sing them sincerely and with heart. Happy worshiping.
Oh how I love the hymns. “I Need Thee Every Hour” and “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” are just a couple. Like you the truths rooted in scripture prick my heart and thrill my soul.
I love “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” a lot. The other one you mention isn’t coming to mind, so I’m going to listen to it right now. Thanks Terri!
Candyce, I’m like you. While I have some favorites of the contemporary worship music, my favorites are the old hymns. Even though we don’t speak in the same language these songs were written, they wouldn’t have the same beauty and inspiration if the words were changed. This song you highlighted is one at the top of my list. I also love, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Thanks for sharing and reminding us to look in the hymn book!
Great is Thy Faithfulness is a beautiful hymn. These old tunes have been a part of our musical heritage for a long time. I think I read Be Thou My Vision was translated to English in the late 1800s.
And speaking of hymn books, I still use one — although the lyrics are projected on a screen