Be Thou My Vision
The Mandate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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, I Thy true son
High King of Heaven my victory won
May I reach heaven's joys, oh, bright heaven's sun
Heart of my own heart whatever befall
Still be my vision, oh Ruler of all
Thou and Thou only first in my heart
High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art
The Mandate's song, "Be Thou My Vision," is a powerful hymn that draws inspiration from a traditional Irish hymn. In these lyrics, the singer speaks to God, expressing the need to make Him the focus of everything. The opening line, "Be Thou my vision, oh Lord of my heart," shows the singer's desire for God to be in charge of their life. They want nothing else to be more important than the Creator.
With lines like "Thou my best thought by day or by night, waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light," the singer emphasizes the importance of God's presence in their life. They want to be continuously walking in God's will and have Him guide them throughout their day, even in their sleep. The singer acknowledges that only through God's wisdom and true word can they be successful in this walk. Hence the line "Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true word."
The chorus expresses the singer's desire to stay true to God at all times. They recognize that God is the High King of Heaven and seeks His victory. The desire is to always be in God's presence, so that whatever happens in life, God is right beside them, guiding and directing. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that God is the only one that matters, and they consider Him their most valuable treasure.
Line by Line Meaning
Be Thou my vision, oh Lord of my heart
Lord, be the guide for my life and my heart.
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Nothing else in this world matters to me, only You.
Thou my best thought by day or by night
You are my constant thought, whether it is day or night.
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light
Even in my sleep or when I am awake, Your presence shines a light in my life.
Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true word
You are my source of wisdom and the truth I live by.
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
You and I are inseparable, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son
You are my Father and I am Your beloved son.
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one
You reside in me and we are one.
High King of Heaven my victory won
You, the King of Heaven, have given me victory.
May I reach heaven's joys, oh, bright heaven's sun
May I one day experience the joys of heaven, basking in the light of heaven's sun.
Heart of my own heart whatever befall
You are the center of my being, no matter what comes my way.
Still be my vision, oh Ruler of all
You are the Ultimate Ruler of all, and I pray that You remain the focus of my vision.
Thou and Thou only first in my heart
You and You alone are the most important thing in my life.
High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art
You are my greatest treasure, O King of Heaven.
Contributed by Claire T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Belinda Strayhorn
This is my dad's favorite hymn. Beautifully done!
Ricky Anthony
Love that this version retains the Irish style of music. Thanks for uploading.
anaconda1949
Congratulations on a song beautifully done! God Bless -
abby0campbell
How very lovely, thankyou for posting this video, praise the Lord!
Graham Commander
Great job with the photo clips I really like the one with "Give God Quality time" it's something I don't do often enough, thanks for the reminder
cyrax037
This version of this song so SOO powerful!!! Of all the versions I've heard, this is my fav! Just went and bought it from Amazon!
Jess Smith
Thanks for posting, this is really beautiful :)
Kathryn Howard
What a beautiful version!
khonamanje
I love this! makes me wanna worship Jesus!
Truster
I heard this about three months after my conversion and it penetrated my soul with the truth of which it tells. Halalu Yah & amen.