January Hymn “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, and I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one
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
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
Scripture Reflection:
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”
Psalm 73:25
Hymn Story
This beautiful hymn can be traced back to the first Christian missionary in Ireland, St. Patrick. During the 5th century, the king set forth a decree that would prohibit the lighting of any candles or fires in coordination to festivals. But St. Patrick wanted to praise God and trusted Him in all things. So he climbed the tallest hill, called Slane Hill, and in an act of worship to God, he lit a fire from the hilltop so all could see. Instead of executing Patrick for his disobedience, the king admired him for his devotion and obedience to God. He allowed him to continue serving as a missionary in Ireland. Several centuries later a poem was written to commemorate St. Patrick’s faithfulness. This poem is now known to be the lyrics to the hymn Be Thou My Vision.
Many centuries passed between the story of St. Patrick and the writing of the classic hymn but there is a timeless truth in this hymn: there is fulfillment and peace in trusting God. The lyrics reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways, He is “ruler of all”, and we can trust Him to lead us through our darkest nights. When we sing Be Thou My Vision with our families, we can be reminded that God’s grace shines brightly to light our paths as we go, just as St. Patrick’s fire and faith in God shined forth from Slane Hill.
