Be Thou My Vision
Leah Mari Lyrics
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be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armor, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of heaven, thou heaven's bright sun,
O grant me its joys after victory is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.
In "Be Thou My Vision," Leah Mari appeals to the Lord to take center stage in her life in a number of ways. She asks the Lord to be her vision, the one thing that guides her every thought and action, and to be her wisdom, the one true word that she relies on. Furthermore, she asks the Lord to be her protector in battle, the source of her strength, and her shield against harm.
The singer's request is made to someone she identifies as the Lord, the ruler of all, whom she addresses as "great Power of my power," "Sovereign of heaven," and "Ruler of all." Through these titles, the singer demonstrates a deep understanding of who she believes God to be in her life. Her request for God to be her vision, wisdom, protector, and treasure expresses a desire for nothing else in life but to have a relationship with God. She relies entirely on God, willing to forgo all riches and the empty praise of others, as they would all fade away. Ultimately, the singer calls on God to be their vision, no matter what befalls, as he remains the King of Heaven, the bright sun of heaven, and the great heart of her own heart, even after victory is won.
Line by Line Meaning
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
Please provide me with a clear view, oh divine creator of my heart.
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
Let everything in my life be insignificant compared to You, as you are the only thing that truly matters.
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Let me always remember You, day or night, never forgetting Your presence.
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.
May Your light guide me through every moment of my life, even my dreams.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
Please be my source of wisdom, and let me always abide by Your truth.
be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;
May we always be with each other, now and forever.
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
May You be my father, and I be Your devoted son.
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
Let me carry You within me, so that we may be one.
Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
Be my protection while I fight the battles of life.
be thou my whole armor, be thou my true might;
Be my complete armor and may Your strength be my own.
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower:
May You be my refuge and mighty fortress.
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.
Lift me up and take me to the heavens, majestic source of my strength.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
I won't value mundane riches, nor pay attention to trivial human praise.
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
You are what I solely inherit, always and forever.
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
Make sure You alone are the first one occupying my heart.
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.
You, the supreme ruler of heaven, are my most valuable treasure.
High King of heaven, thou heaven's bright sun,
Majestic King of the heavens, bright sun that illuminates the sky,
O grant me its joys after victory is won;
Please allow me to experience the joy of heaven once I've achieved victory.
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
You are the great heart within my heart, no matter what happens.
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.
May You continue to be my vision, oh magnificent ruler of everything.
Contributed by Lila S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.