July 23, 2025
“I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand,
I shall not be shaken.”
Be Thou My Vision
Give it a listen as you begin today.
We have noted in this series that worship is not just about what we sing, it’s about where we look, where we focus. In a distracted world like ours, worship invites us to lift our eyes and fix them on Christ. “Be Thou My Vision” is a prayer of radical devotion: “Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart / Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.”
The psalmist in Psalm 16 captures this same heart: “I have set the Lord always before me.” Notice it’s a deliberate, daily choice to keep God at the center. In Christian theological tradition this is referred to as coram Deo, which means living our entire lives before the face of God. The teaching behind this is that when we seek God first, everything else finds its rightful place.
The hymn “Be Thou My Vision” expresses a hunger to see life through God’s eyes, to let His wisdom shape our decisions, His presence to steady our fears, and His love to direct our path. This hymn’s wonderful imagery of God as Vision, Wisdom, Battle-shield, Inheritance, Heart, offers a far-reaching vision of God’s presence in every area and experience of life.
It’s a prayer of reorientation really. In Romans 12:2, Paul exhorts believers, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” You see, devotion and worship renews our vision.
The idea of “vision” in Scripture often refers to spiritual perception. In Ephesians 1:18, Paul prays, “that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you.” The message is that when God is our vision, we begin to see differently, we look at all things through the lens of grace, hope, and eternal purpose.
Jesus Himself said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light” (Matthew 6:22). Where we direct our spiritual focus will shape every part of us. Worship, in the broad sense that we looked at yesterday, adjusts our spiritual eyes to God’s light.
As C.S. Lewis once wrote:
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen—not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
When God becomes our vision, we don’t just see Him, we begin to see the world precisely as God intends.
Where is your gaze today?
What are you allowing to shape your inner vision, news, fear, success, distraction, or God?
Let’s Pray
Lord of my heart, guide my vision today. In a world filled with distractions and noise, help me keep You at the center. Be my wisdom, my true Word, my joy. Let me see through Your eyes and follow Your path. Amen.
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