The Lutheran Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 15 August 2014 "God Pause Daily Devotion" "Be Thou My Vision" ELW 793 v. 1

The Lutheran Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 15 August 2014 "God Pause Daily Devotion" "Be Thou My Vision" ELW 793 v. 1"Be Thou My Vision" ELW 793 v. 1
1. 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.
With so much vying for our attention, it can often be challenging to make space to just quietly think about God and all of the blessings God provides. The first and foremost blessing we have been given is the love of Jesus our Savior. Loving Jesus means following him; following Jesus is rarely easy. Jesus often leads up to places and into situations that challenge and provoke us.
As we sing the prayerful first verse of "Be Thou My Vision," we are asking Jesus to be first in our hearts and minds as we step out into the world each day, so that when we find ourselves in situations for which we don't feel prepared, the presence of Jesus is there to serve as our guiding light. We won't always get it right, but we can never lose the love of God in Christ Jesus and that love has the power to renew and sustain us for the journey.
Lord of our hearts, be the vision of our church. We pray that the time and effort we invest into a life of ministry in your name will help others see and know the guiding presence and light of Jesus. Amen.
Sarah Sumner-Eisenbraun
Associate and Campus Pastor, Salem Lutheran Church and School, Glendale, Calif.
Master of Divinity , 2007
____________________________"Be Thou My Vision" attributed to Dallan Forgaill, translated by Mary E. Byrne, published 1905, arranged by Eleanor H. Hull, 1912

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, I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

3. Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;

Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;

Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r:

Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

4. 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.

5. High King of Heaven, my victory won,

May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whate’er befall,

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

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