Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States - Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" for Sunday, 27 July 2014 "Be Thou My Vision" ELW 793

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States - Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" for Sunday, 27 July 2014 "Be Thou My Vision" ELW 793
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.
2. Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my soul's shelter, and thou my high tow'r,
raise thou me heav'nward, O Pow'r of my pow'r.
3. Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise,
thou mine inheritance, now and always:
thou and thou only, the first in my heart,
great God of heaven, my treasure thou art.
4. Light of my soul, after victory won,
may I reach heaven's joys, O heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
I love this plea for God to be our vision and wisdom—to be all that we see and to be at the center of our thoughts. This prayer is especially true for us as we are inundated with visions and thoughts that lead us away from God. We have no better thought than God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—whether it be morning or night, whether we are awake or asleep. And so the hymn invites our reflections and prayer: There is nothing better than me being with you and you being with me, for you are the protector of my soul. Let me not seek riches and empty praise for you are my true inheritance both now and always. Be first in my heart and may I always treasure you. May I reach your promise of eternal life and your heavenly reward, and no matter what this life brings, you'll still be my vision, O ruler of all. I've learned a lot from the vision and wisdom of this hymn over the years, and it's still one of my favorites.
God, ruler of all things, bless us with your vision and wisdom. Amen.
Sean Forde
Port Saint Lucie, Fla. 
Master of Divinity , 2005
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