I’ve always loved hymns. I especially like it when a hymn tune pops into my head during the day. I may be struggling with a task, and the hymn reminds me how God is present with me.
The words of hymns are steeped in biblical truth, and this makes them a great inspiration for prayer. If you want to spend more time in prayer, but you can’t think where to start, praying a hymn can be a helpful starting place.
The hymn I am praying right now is one of the first hymns I loved as a child. It’s called “Be Thou My Vision.”
As a kid, I went to choir camp each summer with kids from all over Florida. We had a theme hymn for the summer that was the basis of our singing, learning, and activities. My first summer at choir camp, “Be Thou My Vision” was our theme hymn. It’s stuck with me ever since.
Let’s take a look at the words of the first verse:
“Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught 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.”
— Irish hymn 8th cent.; trans. Mary E. Byrne, 1905; versified Eleanor H. Hull, 1912
Let’s look at several ways you can pray the words of a hymn or be inspired by a hymn in prayer. The Lord will no doubt show you other ways as you seek Him. We’ll use this hymn as an example.
1. Speak the words of one verse straight through as a prayer. Sometimes that may be all you have the strength to do.
Doesn’t have to be the first verse. Choose the one that resonates with you that day. The hymn is simply helping you start a conversation with God when it’s hard to find your own words.
Try praying the first verse of “Be Thou My Vision,” and just pray the words straight through.
Here are those words again: “Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; naught 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.”
Just focus on God and speak those words, prayerfully. Take your time and move through it slowly, letting your heart connect with God. Pray it several times if you want to.
As you pray the verse, you might be drawn especially to one phrase. Do as you feel led. It’s simply a way of talking with God and focusing on His presence.
2. Say one phrase at a time and expand on it with your own words of prayer.
Let’s look at the first phrase: “Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart.” Try praying those words and then continuing in your own words.
It could look something like this:
Lord, please help me see my circumstances through Your eyes. I feel lost in my situation right now and can’t find my way out. I need to see things the way You want me to see them. And I need to refocus my vision on You.
God, I am grateful You are Lord of my heart. Help me give more of my heart to You. I invite You to dwell in my heart, and I surrender to You as my Lord. Thank You for filling my heart with Your love.
3. Pray through one verse and meditate on it. See what stirs in your spirit. Then pray in the way you are moved.
Take a moment now to read back over the first verse of “Be Thou My Vision,” prayerfully. Here are those words again:
“Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; naught 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.”
Sit with those words in God’s presence. See what stirs in your heart. Then continue to pray as you are led—with words or without.
Lord, I am thankful for Your presence. You are so good. You are my everything. Help me stay focused on You, in all that I am and do. Thank You for lighting my path and changing my heart from within.
I am so grateful to be with You every day. Keep my relationship with You the main thing in my life. I know You will love others through me and draw them to You.
4. If the hymn relates to a scripture passage, you can pray that scripture too. If the hymn isn’t based on a particular scripture, see if it reminds you of a Bible passage.
The words to “Be Thou My Vision” don’t come directly from a Bible passage, as some hymns do. But the themes of this hymn resonate throughout scripture.
What are some of the themes in the first verse of this hymn? God giving vision, giving God our heart, knowing God is everything we need, putting God first, meditating on God, being assured God watches over us as we sleep, rejoicing that God is ever present with us.
As you start to highlight the themes of the hymn, some Bible passages will probably come to mind, like Matthew 6:33, Psalm 1:2, Psalm 119:27. Those are just a few of the sections of scripture you can find that relate to the themes of this hymn. You can pray those Bible verses as you pray the hymn.
Take a few minutes now to see what other Bible verses come to mind based on those themes.
5. Learn the tune of the hymn so you can associate the words with music. Words set to music are often easier to remember.
You’ll find those words coming to mind through the tune when you need that prayer. It’s always a blessing when different hymns come to mind throughout the day to encourage you and bring you peace.
You can find several great renditions of this hymn on YouTube, and here’s a good one: “Be Thou My Vision.” Let this whole song be your prayer, and don’t be surprised when a verse comes to mind exactly when you need it.
You can pray the words of a hymn for your own situation and for your loved ones. If the hymn presents promises of God, you can put your loved one’s name into a phrase as a prayer. For example, Lord, thank You that Your presence is light to my loved one, [insert name].
You can go on and pray through all the verses of a hymn, or just pray one verse and then start praying your own words. Either way, you are talking with God, and that’s the important thing.
Remember to listen too and see what you sense from God in response. Focus on His presence in your prayer time and enjoy sharing a hymn with Him.
Adventures with God 