Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

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!

Refrain:
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.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

The song was written back in 1918 by Helen H. Lemmel. She was given a tract by a missionary friend entitled Focused. It challenged the reader to "turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness." According to Helen, "Suddenly, as if commanded to stop and listen, 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 none the less dictated by the Holy Spirit."

The song is an echo of other Bible passages. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt 6:33). "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:2). "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Col 3:2). So it's not as if Helen Lemmel is providing us with an idea of her own here. No, this is God's notion.

Are you weary or troubled? Is life wearing on you? Are you concerned about circumstances (our phrase -- "under the circumstances")? Are you just not in the mood to worship? Are you hestitant at sharing your hope with others? Then "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."