Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus
By Susan Klein
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 37:4
By Susan Klein
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 37:4
O Soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
This song, written by Helen H. Lemmel in 1922, was derived from the Scripture passage in Hebrews 12:2: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” Helen, daughter of a Wesleyan minister who immigrated to America, was a gifted vocalist who loved music as a child and was provided with the best vocal instructors her parents could find. She eventually returned to her European roots to further her studies and fell in love with and married a wealthy European businessman. She became quite the accomplished singer and composer. However, her life was not all fame and glory. Her husband left her when she became blind. Many more heartaches were to follow.
Later in life, she recalls hearing the statement, "So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things on earth will acquire a strange new dimness." As she focused on these words she claimed, "I stood still, and singing in my soul and spirit was the chorus, with not one conscious moment of putting word to word to make rhyme, or note to note to make melody. The verses were written the same week after the usual manner of composition, but nonetheless, dictated by the Holy Spirit."
Helen found true joy by putting her focus on the only One who could give it to her. Her heart delighted in the God of compassion and purpose! She no longer sought to take delight in the things of this earth, but rather, delighted in the Giver of music to her soul!
Like Helen, we all face times of great success in our lives, and times of devastation. The world tugs at our focus, trying to convince us to take delight in the visible things of this earth. But it leaves us dissatisfied, longing for more. True fulfillment comes from delighting ourselves in the Creator rather than the created, the everlasting rather than the temporal, the treasures of our Savior rather than the spoils of this earth.
And when we focus on delighting in our God, beloved, He promises to give us the desires of our heart!
GOING FURTHER:
1. What earthly distractions keep your eyes from turning to the real joy-giver?
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 119:18, 37; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Susan is a wife and mother of two. She is the Coordinator of Oakwood's Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and one of it's teachers.
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
This song, written by Helen H. Lemmel in 1922, was derived from the Scripture passage in Hebrews 12:2: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” Helen, daughter of a Wesleyan minister who immigrated to America, was a gifted vocalist who loved music as a child and was provided with the best vocal instructors her parents could find. She eventually returned to her European roots to further her studies and fell in love with and married a wealthy European businessman. She became quite the accomplished singer and composer. However, her life was not all fame and glory. Her husband left her when she became blind. Many more heartaches were to follow.
Later in life, she recalls hearing the statement, "So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things on earth will acquire a strange new dimness." As she focused on these words she claimed, "I stood still, and singing in my soul and spirit was the chorus, with not one conscious moment of putting word to word to make rhyme, or note to note to make melody. The verses were written the same week after the usual manner of composition, but nonetheless, dictated by the Holy Spirit."
Helen found true joy by putting her focus on the only One who could give it to her. Her heart delighted in the God of compassion and purpose! She no longer sought to take delight in the things of this earth, but rather, delighted in the Giver of music to her soul!
Like Helen, we all face times of great success in our lives, and times of devastation. The world tugs at our focus, trying to convince us to take delight in the visible things of this earth. But it leaves us dissatisfied, longing for more. True fulfillment comes from delighting ourselves in the Creator rather than the created, the everlasting rather than the temporal, the treasures of our Savior rather than the spoils of this earth.
And when we focus on delighting in our God, beloved, He promises to give us the desires of our heart!
GOING FURTHER:
1. What earthly distractions keep your eyes from turning to the real joy-giver?
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 119:18, 37; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Susan is a wife and mother of two. She is the Coordinator of Oakwood's Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and one of it's teachers.
