I am learning to draw nearer to the Lord. It is a lifelong path. After almost fifty years of serving Him, I am not where I want to be. But I am getting closer.
One day last week, during my morning quiet time with the Lord, a song written one hundred years ago flowed from my heart. I sang the chorus to “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Do you know it?
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.
When we look upon Jesus with our whole heart, our problems no longer seem as large. Our troubles seem to fade when we consider the sacrifice He made for us and focus on the hope He gives. He died so we can live eternally with Him if we know Him as our Savior and Lord.
I read YouVersion’s Verse of the Day each morning and journal the verse along with the Guided Prayer. The app offers background music, too, which helps me to focus on a quiet and personal time with the Lord. The verse on the day I sang, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” was Isaiah 26:3.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (NLT)
This verse spoke to my heart and aligned with the song that I had sung. If I fix my thoughts on Jesus, and I trust in Him, I can turn my eyes upon Him and see not only the light of His glory and grace, but perfect love and peace.
Because I could not remember the verses to “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” I googled the song. Here is verse one.
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!
When our troubles seem to overwhelm us and we don’t know what to do, we can look to Christ. In Him, we find light, life, and freedom. And because of the freedom He has given us, we can draw nearer to Him.
What do you see when you turn your eyes upon Jesus?
Lemmel, Helen Howarth. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Hymnary. Accessed July 3, 2023. Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus | Hymnary.org.
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