Be Thou My Vision
The story behind the great hymn Be Thou My Vision is an intriguing one, dating back many centuries.
Welcome to Friday Classic Hymns! Today we're exploring a Celtic hymn—probably the most famous Celtic hymn of all—"Be Thou My Vision."
This is one that I've had requested a few times. People have said to me, "Oh, please do that one!" I've been building up to it because it's got an interesting story. It's got a strange story. It's not going to take me much time to tell it, so I've been digging around for more info and haven't found that much. I'm looking forward to sharing this one with you.
Do you know it? Do you love it? What does the song mean to you in your life? Share in the comments below, please. Let's look at the history of the song.
The Story Behind "Be Thou My Vision"
Now, nobody knows for sure who wrote this one, but the tradition is that when Saint Patrick was a missionary in Ireland in the 5th century, the king declared that nobody was allowed to light any fires until a particular pagan festival had been celebrated.
But Saint Patrick went against this. He said, "Well, I'm not going to follow the king and his pagan ways." In defiance, he lit a fire. The king was so impressed by Saint Patrick's devotion and commitment to his faith that he didn't have him executed but allowed him to carry on his missionary work there in Ireland.
It's said that three centuries later, somebody in memory of this occasion composed or wrote this hymn. There was a monk named Dallan Forgaill who is said to have written it, but nobody is quite sure. Some people don't think he did. Some people think it seems to show signs of being a few centuries later that it was written.
Here's a picture of the oldest surviving manuscript in the Royal Irish Academy. You can see it's in Gaelic—it wasn't written in English. It was written in Gaelic, so I'm not even going to attempt to say what the line is.
It was in 1905 that an English lady, Mary Elizabeth Byrne, took the old Gaelic hymn—or poem, or prayer—and translated it into English. Now, her translation wasn't really a song or a hymn. She just translated it line for line, and it was set there as a prayer.
It was a few years later, in 1912, that a hymn writer named Eleanor Hull decided to take her translation and put it nicely into verses so that it could be sung.
That's it. That's the story behind it. I wonder what the truth is. If that tradition about Saint Patrick is true, or if somebody else wrote it whom we will never know. Doesn't really matter in the end. What matters is that this is a beautiful song to sing and beautiful words that inform our faith. Thank God for these ladies who translated it into English so that we could enjoy it the way we do.
Let's have a look at the lyrics.
What Do the Lyrics of "Be Thou My Vision" Mean?
Verse 1: "Be Thou My Vision, O Lord of My Heart"
The first one says, "Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart." That's the original line in Gaelic that is kept the same.
"Be Thou my vision." I love this. Be in my sight. Be what I'm focused on. What I'm looking at. This is quite a biblical theme. The psalmist talks about fixing his eyes on God. Paul talks about how we need to fix our eyes on heavenly things and set our minds on heavenly things.
What are you fixing your eyes on? What are you gazing at, looking at, searching for? God is your vision. You'll find what you're looking for.
"Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart." So it's not just my eyes, but it's an inner thing. It's my heart where He reigns.
"Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art." In other words, everything else—there's nothing compared to You. Reminds me of Paul's words saying, "I consider everything else a loss. I consider it rubbish compared to the surpassing worth of knowing the Lord Jesus." See how you see the world? Everything else pales in comparison to the glory of Christ.
The third line says, "Thou my best thought, by day or by night." I love that—my best thoughts. It's not just my eyes, but it's my mind. It reminds me of Romans 12:1 that says, "Do not be conformed to the ways of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." If you've been transformed by the Holy Spirit, He's in your thoughts. Is He your best thought? Is He the thought that you're keeping in your mind all day long, day or night?
"Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light." Waking or sleeping, God is with us. God is bringing light to our souls.
Verse 2: "Be Thou My Wisdom"
Verse 2 says, "Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word." Now, of course, the Bible is full of wisdom. Solomon's Proverbs and the Proverbs from the other writers show us wise ways to live. Jesus is the personification of wisdom. So looking at God, we see wisdom, and we have the ability through the Spirit to live wise lives.
"And Thou my true word." Jesus is the Word, God's Word. So in the Word, in the Bible, we see Him.
"I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord." I love that line about God being with us all the time.
"Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son." Some real male language here, even though it was written by a lady—or translated by this lady—but it's not just for men. Of course, "Thou my true Father, I Thy true child" would make more sense; it just doesn't rhyme. Are you a true child of God? Do you call Him your Father?
"Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one." That's a beautiful line as well. God is in us, dwelling in us, and so we are one with Him. If we have allowed Him in, have you allowed Him in? Does He dwell within you? Are you one with Him?
Verse 3: "Be Thou My Battle Shield"
Verse 3 says, "Be Thou my battle shield, sword for the fight." This type of war language is also common in the letters of Paul, especially where he said, "Put on the armour of God," and "Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." So we have battle armour for the spiritual battles we face.
Is God your shield as you walk around? Is God your sword for the fight so that whatever comes your way, you are able to defend yourself and defend Him?
The next line says, "Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight." My dignity and my delight—what wonderful thoughts! God is the one who gives us dignity. Of course, every human being has dignity simply by virtue of being alive, and it is God who breathes breath into them and allows them to live. So yes, He's the one who gives us dignity.
But is God your delight? Is God the one you delight in most? There's much to try and delight in that will disappoint you. Delight in God, and you will find your soul to be filled.
"Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower." Love those words—again, very similar to the Psalms, which describe God in this way. Is God your shelter in the storms of life? You can hide in the shadow of His wings. Your high tower, lifting you high above your enemies so that you are safe. Isn't that who Jesus is in our lives? Oh, praise God for being our shelter and our high tower.
Then the last line of this verse is, "Raise Thou me heavenward, O power of my power." It's old English. In other words, lift me up heavenward. O power of my power, lift me up into that high tower where I'm safe from my enemies and where I'm close to You, Lord.
Verse 4: "Riches I Heed Not"
Verse 4 says, "Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise. Thou mine inheritance, now and always." Beautiful. I don't need the riches of the world when I have God. He is my richest treasure. I have everything I need, and I don't need man's empty praise. People's praise means nothing because it is God that I'm seeking to please.
"Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art." What lovely words. Him and only Him. He is our treasure and the greatest thing in our lives.
When you sing songs like this, doesn't it just remind you of who you are in Christ and what He's called you to do? Doesn't it just get your priorities right when you sing songs like this, reminding you that He is your treasure and your delight?
Verse 5: "High King of Heaven"
Let's look at the last verse, which is, "High King of Heaven." That phrase is repeated from the last line of verse 4.
"My victory won." Again, think back to the line about the sword and the shield, being in battle. Well, He is my victory, and I've won through Him.
"May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heaven's sun." May I reach the other side, Lord. I'm loving You here. You're my delight here. But oh, I'm looking forward to when I reach heaven and delighting in You directly.
"Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all." What beautiful words. Heart of my own heart. Is God the one who is in your heart and so close to you that He's replaced your heart? He is the one who is your heart.
Those last words say, "Whatever befall"—whatever comes my way, still be my vision. Whatever happens, Lord, still stay in my sight, in my mind, central to what I'm doing, because You are the Ruler of all.
Conclusion
Isn't that an amazing little hymn? What wonderful words. What does it mean to you? Again, I ask you, is there a line here that means something to you? Is there one line that stands out as something that helps you and inspires you in your Christian journey? Share it in the comments below, please.
If you enjoyed this video, please consider subscribing to the channel, and if you'd like to support this ministry, you can do so through Patreon or PayPal.
Let's draw nearer to God as we glory in Him through these words.
References
Mary Elizabeth Byrne - Translator of "Be Thou My Vision" from Gaelic to English (1905)
Eleanor Hull - Adapted the translation into verses for singing (1912)
Royal Irish Academy - Holds the oldest surviving manuscript of the original Gaelic text
Romans 12:1 - "Do not be conformed to the ways of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind"
