Be Thou My Vision

"Be Thou My Vision" is a beloved hymn. I am not sure why, but it has been a hymn the consistently touches my heart, probably since the 1990s. I know part of it is the tune. Part of it is the message of lifting up my vision beyond the passing away of this finite world, which I cherish far too much, and toward the truly lasting and eternal God. If you have not listened to it recently, I invite you to do so here. 

In any case, not many are familiar with the following verse, omitted from most hymnals, perhaps because of its militaristic imagery, changed by some for the same reason in the second stanza to “Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.”

Be Thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;

Be Thou my armor, and be Thou my might;

Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower;

Raise Thou me heavenward, O power of my power. 

This stanza celebrating divine protection is reminiscent of the ancient Irish poem known as "St. Patrick's Breastplate." 

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I understand the hesitancy to use military image in this beloved hymn. Yet, the imagery of the hymn, while military, is defensive in its original context. The "high tower" in the third line recalls the cylindrical stone towers that rise above many of the ancient Irish monasteries. The doors to those towers were located ten feet or more above the ground. They were accessible only by ladders that the monks could quickly pull up in the event of Viking raids. The monks would hastily deposit their liturgical treasures in these stone towers -- particularly illuminated manuscripts like the famous Book of Kells -- as soon as dragon-ship sails were sighted on the horizon.

It is hard to imagine what it was like to live under constant threat of attack by bloodthirsty adversaries like the Vikings.  

Yet, we face threats from our enemies. Maybe we need to know that God is fighting with us. Some of our enemies are larger than life. We need the breastplate, the sword, the armor, the shelter, the high tower. We need God to raise us heavenward and be the source of any strength we have. We need the divine assurance offered in Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.