859

Be Thou My Vision

Full Text

1 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.

2 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father; thine own may I be,
thou in me dwelling and I one with thee.

3 Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;
thou mine inheritance, now and always:
thou and thou only first in my heart,
high King of heaven, my treasure thou art.

4 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.

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Scripture References

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

God’s grace grants our baptism, and gives us our identity and our calling; however, it is up to us, with a renewed spirit, to respond to his call. We understand that just as “God reminds and assures us of our union with Christ in covenant love,” he also is “expecting our love and trust in return” (Our World Belong to God, paragraph 37). 

 

“We hear the Spirit’s call to love one another…to accept one another and to share at every level…and so fulfill the love of Christ” (Song of Hope, stanza 12). As washed and sanctified people, God’s children are called to “more and more [we] become dead to sin and live holy and blameless lives,” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 26, Question and Answer 70) and this means “the dying away of the old-self, and the rising-to-life of the new” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 33, Question and Answer 88). And so, as part of our baptism, God’s children are called to offer their lives to Christ. 

859

Be Thou My Vision

Additional Prayers

A Petitionary Prayer
 
Gracious God, let your presence be my light.
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.
 
Sweep away my folly and senseless talk.
Be thou my wisdom and thou my true word.
 
Melt my greed and hunger for praise.
Be my inheritance now and always.
 
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all. Amen.
— Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
859

Be Thou My Vision

Tune Information

Name
SLANE
Key
E♭ Major
Meter
10.10.10.10

Recordings

859

Be Thou My Vision

Hymn Story/Background

According to myth, when St. Patrick was a missionary in Ireland in the 5th century, King Logaire of Tara decreed that no one was allowed to light any fires until a pagan festival was begun by the lighting of a fire on Slane Hill. In a move of defiance to this pagan ritual, St. Patrick did light a fire, and, rather than execute him, the king was so impressed by his devotion that he let him continue his missionary work. Three centuries later, a monk named Dallan Forgaill wrote the Irish poem, “Rop tú mo Baile” (“Be Thou my Vision)” about this legend of St. Patrick. Forgaill was martyred by pirates, but his poetry lived on as a part of the Irish monastic tradition for centuries until, in the early 20th century, Mary Elizabeth Byrne translated the poem into English, and in 1912, Eleanor Hull versified the text into what is now a well-loved declaration that at every moment of our lives, God would be our vision above all else.
— Laura de Jong
SLANE is an old Irish folk tune associated with the ballad 'With My Love Come on the Road" in Patrick W. Joyce's Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (1909). It became a hymn tune when it was arranged by David Evans and set to the Irish hymn "Be Thou My Vision" published in the Church Hymnary (1927). SLANE is named for a hill in County Meath, Ireland, where St. Patrick's lighting of an Easter fire—an act of defiance against the pagan king Loegaire (fifth century)—led to his unlimited freedom to preach the gospel in Ireland.
— Bert Polman

Author Information

Mary E. Byrne (b. 1880; d. 1931) was born in Ireland and worked as a linguist of the Irish language. She received her education from the Dominican Convent in Dublin and the National University of Ireland. Byrne worked for the Board of Intermediate Education, and helped compile the Catalog of the Royal Irish Academy. She contributed to the Old and Mid-Irish Dictionary and Dictionary of the Irish Language. Byrne also wrote a treatise on England in the Age of Chaucer. 
— Laura de Jong
Eleanor H. Hull (b. 1860; d. 1935) was born in England but was a student of Irish Studies at Alexandra College in Dublin. In 1899 she co-founded the Irish Texts Society for publication of early manuscripts, and she was president of the Irish Literary Society. She wrote the English versification of “Be Thou My Vision.”
— Laura de Jong

Composer Information

Jack Schrader (b. 1942), arranger, composer, conductor, vocalist, and organist/pianist, is past editor with Hope Publishing Company, retiring in January of 2009. His association with Hope began in 1978. A 1964 graduate of Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, where he majored in Voice and Organ, he also received the Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Nebraska (1966). Further studies in theology culminated in Jack's ordination by the Evangelical Free Church of America (1975). Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he now resides in Wheaton, Illinois, with his wife, Karen. They have three children, Beth, Jonathan and Joel, and currently three grandchildren.

Jack is the best selling choral composer in the Hope catalog. In addition to choral music Jack has published collections for keyboardists, instrumentalists and vocal soloists. He was a member of the editorial committee for Hope's hymnal, Worship & Rejoice (2001), in which he has 24 hymn credits. His music is heard in hundreds of churches across the country each Sunday, and he can be seen throughout the year as a guest clinician at choral reading sessions and workshops.
— Hope Publishing (http://www.hopepublishing.com)
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