Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Nought 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.
Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
Great God of heaven, my treasure Thou art.
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
I love that song. I hope it gets stuck in my head today.
Oh Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to Thee
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine’s glow its day
May brighter, fairer be……
The rich poetry of these songs has blessed me through the years and will endure long after many popular songs we sing today.
I had never sung the hymn “ss” refers to in her comments until I got to the College church in 1974.
It quickly captured my heart and will forever be one of the songs I will cherish forever.
Thanks to the both of you for the wonderful reminders this morning.
This is my favorite Fernando Ortega songs! I plan to have it in my wedding. The message of this beautiful song is what I try to strive for with my life. Be blessed.
When I Survey/The Wonderful Cross
VERSE 1:
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
VERSE 2:
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down:
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
CHORUS:
Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
All who gather here by grace draw near
And bless Your name
VERSE 3:
Were the whole realm of Nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!
CHORUS
TAG:
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all!
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.
In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.
O Sabbath rest by Galilee,
O calm of hills above,
Where Jesus knelt to share with Thee
The silence of eternity,
Interpreted by love!
With that deep hush subduing all
Our words and works that drown
The tender whisper of Thy call,
As noiseless let Thy blessing fall
As fell Thy manna down.
Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.
In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.
O Sabbath rest by Galilee,
O calm of hills above,
Where Jesus knelt to share with Thee
The silence of eternity,
Interpreted by love!
With that deep hush subduing all
Our words and works that drown
The tender whisper of Thy call,
As noiseless let Thy blessing fall
As fell Thy manna down.
Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.
Where cross the crowded ways of life,
Where sound the cries of race and clan,
Above the noise of selfish strife,
We hear Thy voice, O Son of Man!
In haunts of wretchedness and need,
On shadowed thresholds dark with fears,
From paths where hide the lures of greed,
We catch the vision of Thy tears.
The cup of water giv’n for Thee
Still holds the freshness of Thy grace;
Yet long these multitudes to see
The sweet compassion of Thy face.
O Master, from the mountain side,
Make haste to heal these hearts of pain;
Among these restless throngs abide,
O tread the city’s streets again.
I got a great book recently called Then Sings My Soul. It is a book of hymns with the accompanying page having a story about the hymm. I was reading it last night and read about Be Thou My Vision. So many of the old favorites have wonderful faith stories as part of their origin. This is one of my favorites. My favorite version of it is on the CD that goes with the Beth Moore study of the gospel of John. It is sung by Travis Cottrell.
Lord speak to me that I may speak
In living echoes of Thy tone
As Thou hast sought so let me seek
Thy erring children lost and lone
O lead me Lord that I may lead
The wandering and the wavering feet
O feed me Lord that I may feed
Thy hungering ones with manna sweet
O teach me Lord that I may teach
The precious things Thou dost impart
And wing my words that they may reach
The hidden depths of many a heart
O fill me with Thy fullness Lord
Until my very heart o’erflow
In kindling thought and glowing word
Thy love to tell Thy praise to show
O use me Lord use even me
Just as Thou wilt and when and where
Until Thy blessed face I see
Thy rest Thy joy Thy glory share
O strengthen me that while I stand
Firm as the rock and strong in Thee
I may stretch out a loving hand
To wrestlers with the troubled sea
Be thou my battleshield, sword for my fight
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight
Thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tow’r
Raise thou me heavenward, O pow’r of my pow’r.
High King of heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.
I sang this song at a wedding on Saturday night. Powerful lyrics.
Horatio G. Spafford lost most of his family, including all of his children, at sea when the ship they were all on sank.
Yet, afterward, in 1873, he wrote the words (Phillip P. Bliss composed the music in 1876) to this beautiful and majestic hymn:
It Is Well With My Soul
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea-billows roll;
What ever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”
My sin - Oh, the bliss of this glorious tho’t -
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
“Even so” it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Note: In a day and age when many are talking about women being useful participants in worhip, we need to remember the great Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915) who wrote so many of the hymns we have all loved so long and so well and have sung for years and years in our worhip all over the world, most likely.
Some of her “hits” are as follows:
“To God Be the Glory”
“Praise Him! Praise Him!”
“Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross”
“Tell Me the Story of Jesus”
“Blessed Assurance”
“Though Your Sins Be as Scarlet”
“A Wonderful Savior”
“I Am Thine, O Lord”
“Jesus Is Tenderly Calling”
Then - there is:
“Rescue the Perishing”
Is that a great song, or what?! - and so appropriate today.
Rescue the perishing, Care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, Lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus the Mighty to save.
Tho they are slighting Him, Still He is waiting,
Waiting the pentitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, Plead with them gently;
He will forgive if they truly believe.
Down in the human heart, Crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving hand, Wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.
Rescue the perishing, Duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way Patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.
Rescue the perishing,
Care for the dying;
Jesus is merciful,
Jesus will save.
From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation’s revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God
Indescribable
Chris Tomlin 2004
At even, when the sun was set,
The sick, O Lord, around Thee lay;
O, with what divers pains they met!
O, with what joy they went away!
Once more ’tis eventide, and we,
Oppressed with various ills, draw near;
What if Thyself we cannot see?
We know and feel that Thou art near.
O Savior Christ, our woes dispel;
For some are sick, and some are sad;
And some have never loved Thee well,
And some have lost the love they had.
O Savior Christ, Thou too art man;
Thou has been troubled, tempted, tried;
Thy kind but searching glance can scan
The very wounds that shame would hide.
Thy touch has still its ancient power.
No word from Thee can fruitless fall;
Hear, in this solemn evening hour,
And in Thy mercy heal us all.
Growing up with Sacred Selections, I never knew such beautiful hymns existed, such as the one above and the ones posted here, until I got to Harding.
I like some contemporary songs, but my spirit is always more moved by these hymns. To me, they are the “meat” of hymns, as opposed to the “milk” of today’s music. Just my opinion, though. YMMV.
tempted and tried
we’re oft made to wander.
why should it be such
all the day long?
while there are others
living around us,
never molested,
though in the wrong.
farther along, we’ll know all about it
farther along, we’ll understand why
cheer up my brother
walk in the sunshine
we’ll understand it all by and by
…
O Thou in whose presence my soul takes delight,
on whom in affliction I call.
My comfort by day, and my song in the night.
My hope, my salvation, my all.
Where dost thou, dear Shepherd resort with Thy sheep,
to feed them in pastures of love?
Say, why in the valley of death should I weep,
or alone in this wilderness rove?
Oh why should I wander an alien from Thee,
or cry in the dessert for bread?
Thy foes will rejoice when my sorrows they see,
and smile at the tears I have shed.
He looks and ten thousands of angels rejoice,
and myriads wait for His word;
He speaks and eternity filled with His voice,
re-echoes the praise of the Lord.
Dear Shepherd I hear, and will follow Thy call.
I know the sweet sound of Thy voice.
On this brightest day, I declare Thee my all.
And in Thee I will ever rejoice.
excuse me, please, for being a late-comer. I just found this blog through a link on our youth minister’s page. I went straight to the entry for the day Mike preached at Pepperdine a couple of weeks ago. I’m getting a lump in my throat thinking about the Gospel of Do Over. Well, okay, I’m getting a lump thinking about my first Pepperdine experience. I went with a “down” attitude - just planning to coast, ‘cuz it’s been a tough year, my brain is full, and I only went because my friend asked me to (and I could get a free plane ticket). After my first hour, I realized I was about to be filled beyond my imagination. WOW!!
Thanks Mike for helping fill me up - and THANK YOU LORD FOR USING MIKE!!
Ryan Porche, you stole my song! I was going to post that one…maybe I’ll add this one instead.
O Sacred Head, now wounded
With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns thine only crown.
How art thou pale with anguish
With sore abuse and scorn.
How dost that visage languish
Which once was bright as born.
What language shall I borrow
To thank thee, dearest friend?
For this thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end.
Oh, make me thine forever
And should I fainting be,
Lord let me never, never
Outlive my love to thee.
(Please forgive any errors in exact wording…I don’t have a songbook in front of me.)
I think the words and music to that song are so powerful. I second Lisa’s comment that the hymns carry so much meaning. Not only are the words and music often complex and interesting, they also carry with them the weight of generations of faithful worshippers before us. I think a lot of people think that all young people want is to sing “new” songs…but I have to say that I for one have a profound love for older hymns and their rich music and history.
Isn’t it amazing how songs move us!
My favorite contemporary version of Be Thou My Vision is by Ginny Owens (who is blind). Kinda brings it home huh.
Alathea does a great version of O Love That Will Not Let Me Go and did an amazing version of “Jesus Doeth All Things Well” at a concert I attended. They did it acapella with amazing harmony.
Thanks to all who posted these wonderful songs that ground us to our faith.
The first time I sang this hymn was with Good News at Harding, under Frank Pitts’ direction, in a very traditional arrangement. I immediately fell in love with the old-timey-ness of the tune and the longing of the words. I am really enjoying all the modern versions of this old Irish hymn.
hey!!we play that song in orchestra!!!!
The Kingdom is Almost Here
1917 Hymm
1-Forward we go, Facing the fo, Following ever Jesus Savior,
Seeking His grace, Running the race Straight to our glorious home,
Trusting forever, Jesus our Savior, watching and waiting until he appear, On ward and Up ward be our Endeavor - The Kingdom is almost here. 2-Nothing we fear, Jesus is near; Faithful to gude us, He walks beside us, All on our way to realms of day where we shall see his face. Trusting forever, Jesus our Savior, watching and waiting until he appear, On ward and Up ward be our Endeavor - The Kingdom is almost here. 3- 4 - 5 - 6 -