Be Thou My Vision

Pastor Albert Kang 

e are living in turbulent time. With the recent SARS attack, economy downturn, massive retrenchments of workers, terrorist threats and global political instability, it becomes easy for us, Christians, to fall prey to fear. As indicated in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the physiological needs usually become the top priority in troubled time like this. The danger is that we might be tempted to put aside all our spiritual disciplines so that we can focus on securing our careers and creating income for our families. My advice is that we have to continue with our praying, studying the Bible and also witnessing. These acts of obedience are good but it is now time for us to go beyond the forms. Let us consider why we are doing all these.

Why am I studying the Bible and praying? Why do I go to church? Why do I witness and counsel? These were questions that I used to ask myself.  I was no longer contented in just doing all these because in themselves, they were meaningless. I would be no better than any religious people who perform all the religious activities so as to ease the conscience. Deep down inside my soul, these things did not satisfy. I wanted more than just religious discipline.

Religion is basically a series of activities that we do to assure ourselves that we are okay spiritually. It is more self-centered than God-centered. Why is it so? Anything that focuses its attention on our “abilities to achieve” is self-centered. When we think that we are doing this and that for God so as to achieve this and that for Him, then our emphasis is on “we” and “do”. We continually fall into this trap of “doing” because we have become so task-oriented. We are more interested in the task of knowing about God than really knowing God personally. Pastor Francis Frangipane said it so concisely: “…we have contented ourselves not with seeking the face of God, but with the facts of God. We are satisfied with a religion about Christ without the reality of Christ”.

To be God-focused, we have to relinquish the idea that we are the Prime Movers and that we can do anything by ourselves. Instead of being independent, we have to become dependent on God and to trust Him to do everything. Are we serious about God doing everything? Are we then to be passive? No! We are active but in a different context and with a different motivation.

We have learned again and again that we can DO without BEING but we cannot BE without DOING. The “becoming process” has its basis in God being the Prime Mover. This means that whatever God wants to do, He will empower and energize us to do on His behalf. Paul said, “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me…” (Romans 15:17-18)

To focus on our works and activities alone is to dismiss the need for God’s grace in our lives. The grace of God is not only for our salvation but also for the “becoming process”. What are we to become? The ultimate purpose of the “becoming process” is for us to become like Christ. We do not only devote our lives to Christ but we allow Him to change us. This transformation is a process and day-by-day we “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Our thinking pattern, compassion, attitude, behavior and actions are being gradually aligned with those of Christ. We receive the power to forgive when it is difficult to do so. We extend hands of kindness and love to people who are unlovable. We submit ourselves to God and walk humbly before Him. And soon, people do not see us but the Christ in us. For example, there was a building contractor who liked to use foul languages. After he received Christ into his life, he did not stop this bad habit. He was still using it until one day, while studying the Bible, he learned that his body was the Temple of the Holy Spirit and that God lived within (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). He was so ashamed because before he became a Christian, he would never use foul languages in the Chinese temples. He said, “If I could respect the Chinese temples by holding my tongue before. Now I have to give even more respect to this one true God, who have moved inside my temple”. From that day onward, he stopped using such bad languages. For this brother, he has learned to take miniature steps to Christ-likeness.

The “becoming process” cannot even begin if one does not establish a relationship with God. We all know that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. Therefore we ask ourselves: Do all our spiritual exercises lift our spirits beyond this world of materialism so that we can see the face of God? When we meditate upon the victory of Christ that is won at Calvary, do we experience closeness with God just as Christ does? Are we like Paul, who cried sincerely from a deep desire, “…I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things? I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”? (Philippians 3:8) It is good to pray, read the Bible and attend church, but all these must go beyond mere activities. We therefore cannot consider the mechanics of religious disciplines as an end in itself. They are but means through which we can be drawn closer to God.

To experience God, I need to go beyond mere information. From the cognitive, I have to step into the experiential. For example, how can I quench my thirst just by reading the description on the fruit juice packaging? No matter how much it tells me about the taste of the juice, it is only until I taste it then I will know. In similar manner, we gain nothing by religious disciplines alone. We have to experience Christ in order to know the love of Christ. Peter who experienced the love of Christ in the most personal way said, “^…. now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (1 Peter 2:2-3) This experience gives fresh meaning to what I learn theologically. I have tasted his goodness and therefore no longer need to imagine what it would be like to be in His presence. As long as I am willing to abide with Christ, He will abide with me.

I realize that the abiding presence of Christ fades when my mind and heart are filled with other distractive noise. This noise that comes from my environment, my problem and my self-centeredness can cause my spiritual life to be wasted away. It prevents me from seeking God’s face by drawing me away to spend more time in pursuing after my own temporal and trivial goals. To prevent the abiding presence from fleeing, I have to keep my focus and bring everything I think and do to one focal point – the person of Christ.

In my experience, the abiding presence of Christ comes through His abiding Word. Even though I have a Master degree in theology, I have to put that aside, and read the Bible like a child. It is only then that I can enjoy the Word afresh and enter the embrace of my God and Savior. His Word brings wonderful comfort and joy.

Another way to experience the presence of Christ is just by “chit chatting” with God. Instead of the traditional prayer time, I have a “chit-chat” time. When I was a little boy, my father would bring me to the balcony and just talk. It must be more than 35 years ago, but those wonderful moments of bonding remained in my memory. You and I can create wonderful memories of bonding with the Lord. We just have to make ourselves available for those moments. We have to decide to find a solitary stretch of time with the Lord. It used to take me half an hour to drive to work and that driving time was my “chit-chat” time with the Lord. As I seldom drive now, my “chit-chat” time is in front of my apartment’s window and usually at the early hours of the morning. This window faces a distant church. When the sky is dark, the lighted cross on top of the church steeple becomes a wonderful reminder of the cross of Christ at Calvary. By looking at the cross and sky, I am inspire to “chit chat” with the Lord. It can be very short sessions or extremely long ones. As it is “chit chatting”, my time is flexible. In fact, I hardly look at the time. I would only conclude when the presence of Christ saturates the room.

I trust that you will seek His presence in your life. Go beyond the form and seek the substance. Get over the “doing” and let the “becoming process” activates in your life. Remove the façade and let the essence of the presence of Christ shows. Fall in love with Christ again. You will never regret it. In conclusion, may I share this poem with you! I do not know who wrote this but I shall place it here for your enjoyment:

BE THOU MY VISION

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.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, 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.

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.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.