Be Thou My Vision

Small disclaimer for all of you out there. just in case you hear screaming in the background. I recorded this this week at my school and we have an aftercare program and they came out to the playground as I was recording this podcast. So you may hear some children screaming in the background because they're playing on the playground. Please do not get scared. Do not call the police and go, I don't know what he's doing to his children at home, but they're in the background screaming all of the time. So I wanted to give that disclaimer in case you do hear a little bit of screaming in the background. I've tried to take most of it out, but if you hear it, that is it. So without further ado, let's begin. The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but no vision. Helen Keller. This is The Bright Forever. Hello, and welcome to The Bright Forever, where each week we discover the richness of some of the greatest hymns of the church. My name is Andy Peavyhouse, and I am your host and guide on this little tour through hymnody. Jemma Noelle Our third baby girl has been born. She is the most amazing surprise God could ever have given us. She is now almost two and a half months old and she is doing great. Something else exciting has happened during our time off that I will get to in a I also want to say a huge thank you to those of you who have clicked on the support the show link. Your contributions to this podcast are truly overwhelming to me. I usually don't say anything about this. It's there, but... I don't do this so that y'all will give me money or I don't have a lot of advertisers or any advertisers at all currently. And so this is not about me being able to make a lot of money off of this. I mean, if I could, wonderful, that's great. I would love to do this full time, but that's not where we are. That's not where I'm striving to be right now. But for those of you who have clicked the support the show link, Your contribution to this podcast is truly overwhelming to me. That anyone would give anything to help keep this going means the world to me and to my family. Thank you again and again and again. With that said, I have some very exciting news to share with you all. Just before the break, I had been looking for a way to get licensing to play pre-recorded music, specifically the hymns I talk about on this podcast. I don't know if you realize the amount of money that it costs to get the licensing to be able to play copyrighted music from an artist or a band on a podcast, Christian or otherwise. It's not cheap. And I wanted to make sure that I stay above board. Um, I don't want to do anything illegal. I don't want to illegally play music or like, Ooh, I'm just going to skirt around the copyright law. Cause I don't get paid. And so technically, no, I don't want to do any of that. I want to stay above board and, um, I am also very cognizant of artists who have put time into their music, the companies who own the rights to the songs and have put the money out to have those things recorded. So I wanted to make sure I was doing it right. The issue is that doing it right is expensive. So I was looking for some places that would allow me to use their music for less or for cheaper or even for free. So on a whim, I decided that I was going to reach out to Nathan Drake at reawakenhymns.com and to Kevin Twitt at Indelible Grace Music, two sites that I really, really love. Indelible Grace, I started listening to Indelible Grace, it's probably been 15 years or so when I was first introduced to Indelible Grace by my brother, actually. And they're very much an Isaac Watts-esque group. They take ancient hymns, old hymns, and they rework them into modern sounding songs. And they are absolutely fantastic. I love Indelible Grace music. Reawaken hymns. Same thing. Takes hymns and puts them into a modern context to where it could be in modern worship. And so I reached out to both Nathan and to Kevin to just say, hey, I'd like to use your music. And to my amazing surprise, both of them came back to me and said they would love to allow me to use their music. I don't have all of the equipment to do a professional sounding recording of me playing and singing these songs. And quite honestly, I wouldn't do them half as good as they have already been done. And so I was looking for something. And I wanted to use... I wanted this podcast to sound professional. Not that I just pieced it together in some back room somewhere or used my iPhone and recorded myself saying something. I wanted it to sound good. I wanted it to sound professional. And so I wanted the music that I shared, I wanted it to sound professional. And I was like, there's just no way. I just don't have the money to do it. But I wanted it to be good, and I am in awe of what God has done. With one group that I've talked to you about before, TheHymnalProject.com, add to that ReawakenHymns.com and Indelible Grace Music, which you can find at the letter I, GraceMusic.com. I have access to hundreds of hymns that we can talk about and dig into the history and the stories behind them. So now, for the first time since the beginning of this adventure, I'm thinking, maybe. Maybe it can be. Maybe we can do what I dreamt this podcast could be. I'm excited to finish out this season and to start looking towards season two because, surprisingly enough... Guess what? I've decided to renew myself for a second season. I am just amazed at what God is doing, and I'm really excited to bring these hymns to you. So to get a little bit back on topic, they are not sponsors, not in the way you would normally think of a sponsor, but they may as well be because the amount of money that I would have had to have spent to on some of these hymns from other artists would have cost me thousands of dollars. So for me, this is huge. I hope you understand how huge this is. And I really cannot thank them enough for allowing us to use their music. Today, you're going to actually get to hear a song by Nathan Drake from Reawaken Hymns. Reawakenhymns.com is an amazing resource for chord sheets, backing tracks, whether split track or multi-track accompaniment, lyric videos, countdowns, all these different things that you can use in a worship service. And it is a fantastic resource for any worship leader wanting to incorporate hymns into their service. As their website states, everything you need to play your favorite hymns in modern worship, skinny jeans, Not included. Sorry, guys. Skinny jeans are not included in this website, but I'm sure you can still wear them while you sing these amazing hymns. But this is a great resource. It really is. If you can use them, they have all sorts of stuff. I can't get into it all right now, or else this podcast will just be huge. But really... Check them out. We're going to be playing a song by him today at the end of the program. But that's enough of housekeeping and of the upcoming things and things that have been happening while we were in break. This week, we are diving into Be Thou My Vision. I thought since it's January and the beginning of the year, even though it's the end of January, we can talk about God being our vision and as we have stepped into the year 2023. Mary Elizabeth Byrne was born in Ireland in 1880. In 1905, in the Journal of School of Irish Learning, she transliterated the old Irish hymn by Húsa Mó Ula. into English prose as Be Thou My Vision. This hymn has its origins almost 1,500 years ago in Ireland. Many scholars believe that it was written by the 6th century Irish poet, Dallan Fregale, also known as Saint Dallan. Monks chanted his poetry, and someone much later used it as the basis for this hymn. They believe that St. Delon lost his sight, which inspired the first line, be thou our vision. The hymn is a prayer, a prayer that Christ will be our vision, our best thought, our presence, and our light. Though there are numerous reasons why this is a favorite for so many believers, I have a suspicion that that apart from the beautiful tune that it is set to, the main reason has to be the way the songwriter takes theological depth and a devotion to who God is. And that idea of knowledge meets application and weaves it into this prayer. that theological and devotional lyrics are weaved together to just, there's just such an impact. Verse one calls out to our Lord and our Father to be our vision and best thought above all else. What I really love is the second line that says,"'Not be all else to me, save that thou art.'" Don't be anything else to me other than who you are, God. Because who you are is exactly what I want. Who you are, the Lord of my heart, that's the vision. Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. Not 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. It reminds me of Hebrews 12, verses 1 and 2, where it says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely. I love how other translations say it. That says, and lay aside every sin that so easily entangles us. The ESV says clings so closely and let us run with endurance. The race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, him being our vision, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. And in Colossians 3, 1 and 2, if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not the things on earth. He is your best thought. Set your mind, set your thoughts on the best possible thought you can have. What is that? waking or sleeping. It's him. It's his presence. Let that be your guide. Verse two develops our wisdom and unity with the triune God as an adopted child. Ephesians 1, 3 through 9 says this, blessed be the God of our father and Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved. In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us. in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he has set forth in Christ. He is the embodiment of wisdom, and he has shared that wisdom with us. My true word, Jesus Christ, the word of God made flesh. I'm ever with thee. You with me. I'm with you and you with me. It sounds like if you abide in me and I in you. How amazing. My great father and I thy true son. Thou in me dwelling and I with thee one. Amen. Now we get to an interesting verse because this verse is not really sung a whole lot. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever heard verse three actually sung, but it goes like this. Be thou my buckler, which is a shield. Be thou my buckler, my sword for the fight. Be thou my dignity, thou my delight. Thou my soul's shelter. Thou my high tower, raise thou me heavenward, O power of my power. Power with a capital P to my power with a lowercase p. Ah, so good. Be my sword and my shield for the fight. You are my dignity. I don't find my identity in who I am and the intrinsic value of who I am as a person in anything other than you, God. You are my dignity. You are my delight. You are my soul's shelter. You are my high tower. And whatever power I have, and at times it can be very little, but even that is not my own. The only time I have power is when I have, oh, power of my power. When I have your power, your wonder-working power, through the blood of Jesus working in me. And then we get to verse number four that tells us of the seeking of our inheritance and our true treasure. 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. 1 Peter 1 verses 3 through 5 says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. He is our inheritance, that imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance. The riches that we seek are not found in how much money we have, but who God is. It's found in who he is. The riches, I don't need that. Man's praise, I don't need that. What do I need? I need my inheritance. Who is my inheritance? You are God. You are my inheritance now and always. You and you alone. I want you to be first. Seek first his kingdom and everything else. That'll take care of itself. My treasure thou art. Jesus said in Matthew 13, 44, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again. And then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. We have a treasure in Christ. I would give up everything. We should be willing to give up everything for that treasure. And then we get to verse five. High King of heaven, my victory won. May I reach heaven's joys, oh bright heaven's sun. Heart of my own heart, whatever befall. Still be my vision, oh ruler of heaven. Verse five is praise to our high King who has won the victory. No matter what comes my way, no matter what happens, whatever befalls me, you remain my vision. Keep my eyes fixed on the author and the perfecter of my faith, the ruler of all. Revelation 5.13 says this, and I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them saying, to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever. Heart of my own heart. whatever befall, still be my vision, O ruler

of all.

Be Thou My Vision band version. There's also an acoustic version on reawakenhymns.com and that was Nathan Drake. Again, Nathan, thank you so much for allowing us to play that on our podcast. Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It is so good to be back. Please take a minute to subscribe or to follow this podcast either through Apple Podcasts or Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, Amazon, any of the major... sites that you can find us on. You can also find us at www.thebrightforever.com. Share us with as many people as you can possibly come in contact with. Also, again, let us know what you think. Send your comments to podcast at thebrightforever.com. Again, that's podcast at thebrightforever.com. Again, thank you for joining me. Thank you for listening. I hope you will continue to enjoy this as we go. Have a great week. And I'll see you back here next week. God bless you all. We're out.

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