Be Thou My Vision

I do not know why but I have been singing this hymn all week (don't worry only to myself and the baby not in public) - "Be Thou My Vision". It reminds me of going to Thailand. Lance & Aaron would play it on their guitars and our whole team would sing. Fond memories from a lifetime ago. Jake and I were talking about how we have moved a lot and each place seems like a different life we lived. Starting with our time in California then on to Washington and then Oklahoma and now Iowa. Yesterday being September 11th ~ Jake and I were talking about where we were and what we were doing. We were sleeping and the phone rang and it was my mom. She sounded scared and asked if I had heard yet. Well we did not have a tv so she told me to turn on the radio because the US had just been attacked or something terrible like that. I turned on the radio just in time to hear that there was also a plane heading into Washington DC - then it had hit the Pentagon. My dear friend Laurel was living in DC at the time working for a Senator (I think he was a Senator)- so I frantically called her cell phone over and over until I finally got through. She was being evacuated from the building she was working in. She had no idea what was even happening so I told her about he planes in New York and then the Pentagon. Then we hung up. After that I ran in to the bedroom to wake up Jake. He just looked at me said "Really"- then rolled over and went back to sleep. I know - back to sleep can you believe it. After work we were heading over to my parents house and passed a golf course. I still remember this was the first time I had seen Jake with tears rolling down his face. (I'd say cry but he really wasn't 'crying'.) I remember looking at him and panicking asking what was wrong - he just looked at me and said "I can not beleive that people are out golfing with what has happened to our country today. Do they not know how many people did today and they are laughing and playing golf" We sat in front of the tv at my parents house and saw the actual footage of the crash for the first time - I am not sure I would do that again. I watched it one time and then was so thankful that we did not have TV after that. That one time was traumatic enough and I can not imagine watching it over and over and over... Anyways all of this was reminding me of God's Sovereignty and how thankful I am that we do not need to fret over what happens in our lives (even though we do!). There are two peope I know from California that are going through some very tough times and I am amazed at how both of them are truly RESTING in the fact that God is in control. And then I sing this hymn and find comfort in the words:

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armor, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, thou heaven's bright sun,
O grant me its joys after victory is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

Words: Ancient Irish hymn;
trans. Mary Byrne, 1905, and versified by Eleanor Hull, 1912

Music: Slane (Irish)