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 and 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, I thy dear child;
Thou in me dwelling, with thee reconciled.
Be thou my breastplate, my 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.
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 Heav'ns Sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
“Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart…”
This ancient Irish hymn was written in a time when following Christ could cost everything. Believers lived under threat, yet they clung to God as their ultimate treasure.
Rather than asking for safety or comfort, the writer asks for vision—to see God above all else. It is a prayer of alignment, of reordering the heart.
In a world full of distractions, this hymn calls us back. What we fix our eyes on shapes our lives.
Scripture: Colossians 3:2 — “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Ask yourself:
- What currently competes for your focus and attention?
- What does it look like to make God your “vision”?
- How can you re-center your heart this week?
Be Thou My Vision (God as Our Focus)