Be Thou My Vision

One of my all-time favorite hymns is Be Thou My Vision, an Irish hymn dating back to somewhere in the 700s. I love it, not only for the simple beauty of the music, but because the words are at once profound in their theology and challenging in their message. Every verse is a strong reminder to put my focus on God, rather than on myself.

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