Over the last few days, I've been going through some struggles, and the third verse of this hymn particularly stood out to me:
Be Thou my Battle-Shield, Sword for my fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul's Shelter, Thou my High Tower;
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Pow'r of my pow'r!
I have always loved paradoxes, and this verse is full of them. It is a prayer asking God to be my ...
- battle-shield and sword: I cannot win any battles by myself. This is a prayer that God would be the One Who shields me from harm, and at the same time the One Who fights for my cause.
- dignity and delight: Dignity (self-respect) and delight (happiness) are usually considered unrelated, perhaps even incompatible. But in God they are one and the same. I have no dignity of my own, and to delight in myself or anything else in this world is folly. This is a prayer that God would be sufficient for me when the world spurns or lures me.
- shelter and high tower: My shelter is the place where I go to hide from storms or enemies or wild animals. A high tower is a lookout, from which I can see more clearly than I could standing on the ground. This is a prayer that God would give me peace and wisdom to both endure and conquer the trials He sends my way.
May God alone be my vision and yours.
— The Panther
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3 comments:
frAh, yes. Be Thou My Vision, is at the top of our hymn list, too. The melody is beautiful, and the verses describe just Who and what we need when we are having hard times. It puts the focus back on God, and quiets the heart.
Allison
"Heart of my own heart, whatever befall; still be my Vision, O Ruler of All."
Great post bro! We used to sing that hymn at church almost every week. I love it!
"Still be my vision oh Ruler of all"
Amen
Thanks for the encouraging post!
Yeah, one of the most awesome hymns in human history...
Something that my mother pointed out some time ago about this hymn is the fact that it is a song men can sing. So much of the "personal relationship" hymns from the last century are so mushy. This hymn is strong. My favorite verse would have to be the third one in my version (great verse, btw, Scottie! I don't think I've heard it more than once or twice).
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
A strong song of love and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. Wow. Wonder how many Christians have sung that hymn over the past 1300 years...?
IHS,
John Calvin
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