Be Thou My Vision

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.

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.

This is our favorite hymn.  We sing it to baby Mateo every night.  A rustic-looking version of it hangs up in our dining room.  The lyrics describe the cry of our heart.  They are also our desire for baby Mateo.

Some songs are sung as direct praise unto God.  These are songs that proclaim God's character, what he has done, what he is doing, what he will do, etc.  But there are other songs that, while still praising God, are more reflective, like a prayer unto God.  "Be Thou My Vision" falls into that category.  Each verse ministers to me in a different way, with different aspects of my life.  Overall, the song is a constant reminder of keeping my heart, mind, eyes, etc., etc. on the Lord. 

Here are few of my favorite lines:
- "Thou my best thought by day or by night" - I could try to think of something, but I'll fail every time.  There is absolutely nothing greater than my God.  I was reflecting the other day about how cool technology is (I'm a gadget geek, for sure), and how far it has come...but then I reflected on how amazing our senses are.  How we can hear sounds, feel the warmth of the sun, taste delicious foods...and our minds can comprehend these things.  And this is just one aspect of the awesomeness and creativity of our God.  No technology can ever compare to the wonders of God.
- "Thou my great Father, I Thy true son" - My goodness.  I am adopted into God's family.  God, the Maker of all the universe, God, the Giver of life, God the source of absolute truth, perfect righteousness, joy, love and satisfaction, is my Father.  He calls me his own.  Wow.  Can you say amazing?  Can you say totally and completely undeserved?
- "Thou mine inheritance, now and always" - What a great reminder.  God is my treasure.  Not the blessings he bestows.  Not the riches of this world.  Not even the family and friends he has given me.  These things are wonderful gifts that I am forever grateful for.  But the ultimate gift, the one I will enjoy for all eternity, the very source of it all, the Giver of the gifts.  As Piper says, God is the gospel.  Without God there is nothing.  Nothing. 
- The last verse.  What a great way to end the song.  Doesn't this just ignite a flame under you to persevere and press on towards the upward call of Christ, to long for heaven, to yearn for Christ's return? 

For these reasons and more, we love this song.  But I think when we're in heaven, we'll probably sing something more along the lines of this.  Regardless, it's going to be awesome.

On a side (but sort of related) note, I'm getting the wonderful opportunity to go to Shepherds' Conference.  It is a tremendous blessing to be able to learn more of God's truth, fellowship with many like-minded brethren...and my favorite part...the singing.  What a thrill it is to be singing along thousands of other men.  I can't even imagine what millions of voices, praising our Savior, for all eternity, will be like.  O what a foretaste of glory divine!