Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Lyrics and Music by Helen H. Lemmel, 1863-1961
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith...”—Hebrews 12:2
Helen H. Lemmel was born in England, but lived most of her life in America. She was a talented soloist, teacher, writer, and wrote hundreds of hymns and poems. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus flowed from her soul after having been touched by a tract written by Lilias Trotter. Read these thoughts from Ms. Trotter’s work, entitled Focussed:“Gathered up, focussed lives, intent on one aim—Christ—these are the lives on which God can concentrate blessedness… Satan knows well the power of concentration; if a soul is likely to get under the sway of the inspiration, ‘this one thing I do,’ he will turn all his energies to bring in side-interests that will shatter the gathering intensity…It is easy to find out whether our lives are focussed, and if so, where the focus lies. Where do our thoughts settle when consciousness comes back in the morning? Where do they swing back when the pressure is off during the day? Does this test not give the clue? Then dare to have it out with God—and after all, that is the shortest way. Dare to lay bare your whole life and being before Him, and ask Him to show you whether or not all is focussed on Christ and His glory…What does this focussing mean? Study the matter and you will see that it means two things - gathering in all that can be gathered, and letting the rest drop. The working of any lens—microscope, telescope, camera—will show you this. The lens of your own eye, in the room where you are sitting, as clearly as any other. Look at the window bars, and the beyond is only a shadow; look through at the distance, and it is the bars that turn into ghosts. You have to choose which you will fix your gaze upon and let the other go…Turn full your soul's vision to Jesus, and look and look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him, and the Divine ‘attrait’ by which God's saints are made, even in this 20th century, will lay hold of you. For ‘He is worthy’ to have all there is to be had in the heart that He has died to win.”
Stanza 1:
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a 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.
Reflective thoughts: Every one of us, if honest with ourselves, could at any point admit to being wearied and troubled; there is always darkness around us—either in the trials of life, our own sin, or the unsaved world around us. Christ offers light, life, and freedom to all who would fix their eyes on Him. His face is wonderful and when we focus on it, nothing else matters quite as much as it once did.
Stanza 2:
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!
Reflective thoughts: Romans 8:37 assures us, “…we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”Are you conquering through Christ? Or are you allowing sin to have dominion over you? If you are a child of God, He has set you free and you are no longer enslaved to sin (Gal.5:1).
Stanza 3:
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!
Reflective thoughts: There are so many ways in which God’s Word will never fail us. Do you ponder them often? It is His Word that brings salvation (Rom.10:17). It is His Word that sanctifies us (John 17:17). It is His Word that reveals our motivations (Heb.4:12). It is His Word that gives us understanding (Ps.119:104). His Word will never perish or pass away (Matt.24:35). His Word is righteous (Ps.119:172). His Word will help us keep ourselves pure from sin (Ps.119:11).
Considering God’s Word—and then sharing it with others—is how we keep our focus clear and on Christ. I found this quote as I was researching this hymn: “How easy it becomes even for those of us who profess to be faithful followers of Christ to get caught up in the ‘things of earth,’ so that our heavenly vision and values become blurred and dull. This often happens even when we are active in our Christian activities, we become so involved in merely doing things for God that we miss the real blessing of enjoying the personal fellowship of Christ Himself in our daily lives.”
May we today—and every day—focus on Christ, and Him alone, living for His glory and in His grace.
