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.

Recently, I was listening to this familiar hymn, Be Thou My Vision. I first heard this song, when it was sung by a young Christian artist, Ginny Owens. Ginny was discovering melodies on the piano almost before she could complete a sentence. Songs began to emerge from her fingers as the vision began to leave her eyes by the age of three.  A degenerative eye condition left her completely blind.  Despite her physical challenge, she pursued a music career. 

The song gains meaning for me as I learned this part of Ginny's story, since we are called to walk by faith, not by sight.  -2 Corinthians 5:7

The original writer of Be Thou My Vision refers to God by many descriptive titles. The song encourages our focus and devotion to be Christ. In the hymn lyrics, the poet expresses his adoration of God through the many titles he uses: Vision, Wisdom, Word, Great Father, Power, Inheritance, High King of heaven, Treasure, bright heaven's Sun, Ruler of all.

Today, we continue to sing the words of this hymn, echoing the poet's response to God's many names, Thou my best thought,.. Thy presence my light.

I would invite you to travel through your day taking notice of how your faith and trust are connected with your ability to see. Listen for ways that you can redirect your thinking to have faith without always seeing first. May your vision be closely connected with God's call for your life.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.

Prayer for Today

God of Glory, I want to honor you with my daily choices. I want my life to glorify you. Open my eyes, ears, and heart to your vision for my life. In Christ's Name, Amen.