I was recently asked which song I sing when I am discouraged. I thought for a bit and then answered, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” This old hymn was written in 1922 by Helen Howarth Lemmel reminds me to simply look into the face of Jesus when I am being overwhelmed by the world around me.
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
Are you struggling with illness, depression, family issues, work obstacles, job loss, grief, or loneliness? Have you reached a place of wanting to throw in the towel, quit, walk away, or give up? Is it hard to sleep at night or more difficult to get out of bed in the morning?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Jesus loves you. He cares about what you are struggling with right now. He knows your need and He knows your pain. He also understands. He humbled Himself and came to earth as a human so we could know Him.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face…
Jesus can be trusted. He wants to hold your burden. Allow Him to take it and turn it into something beautiful.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
When we are focused on Jesus, the pain we are facing fades into the background. How do we see Him? By getting to know Him. Spend time sitting quietly in His presence—no talking, no distractions, no cell phone. I find it helpful to be in nature where His creation is engulfing me—by a stream, on a quiet beach, in the garden, or under a big tree. Read the Bible (John is a good place to start) because the Bible will keep you immersed in the Truth. The more time you spend in His presence, the more time you want to spend in His presence. You become thirsty for that daily filling of His Spirit.
Thro’ death into life everlasting,
He passed, and we follow Him there.
This life is passing. Our hope is in His return and our resurrection with Him. Because of His death in our place and His power over death by His resurrection, we have the hope of salvation.
O’er us sin no more hath dominion--
For more than conqu’rors we are!
We are conquerors when we walk with Jesus. Sin is not in charge when we turn our lives over to Him. Will we be perfect? No. Will we be changed? Yes. As we look into His face daily and sit in His presence, He will renew our mind, strengthen us, and make us more like Him.
His Word shall not fail you--He promised.
Believe Him, and all will be well:
That doesn’t mean that we won’t have hardships. In this world, we will have trouble, however, Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33). This is where we find peace. This is where we find joy.
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
When we spend time focusing on the face of Jesus—His character, His words, His personality—we reflect that to others. Hopefully, they too, will turn their eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face.
