{HSCRC12} Hymn #2, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

*Note: To see the winners of the Hymn and Scripture Challenge, please click here. :)

Hymn Challenge #2: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Written by: Helen Lemmel
b. Nov. 14, 1864; d. Nov. 1, 1961

Helen Lemmel was born to a Methodist pastor's family in Wardle, England, which is a village in the Greater Manchester area. When she was 12 years old, Helen Lemmel and her family moved to the United States where she lived in Mississippi and Wisconsin. Later, she became a famous soloist, gave concerts in many churches, and then taught voice lessons at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

In 1918, Helen Lemmel received a tract from a missionary friend. The tract was written by Lilias Trotter, and it was entitled "Focused." The pamphlet contained these words: "So then, 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."  These words deeply affected her, and she was later quoted as saying "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."

Helen Lemmel wrote more than 500 hymns and authored a children's book titled "Story of the Bible"! For the most in-depth study of Helen Lemmel that I was able to find, please click here.

So, first before we begin, I know many of you love to hear when God confirms our study. Last night our church service was amazing. Well, one of the very last hymns played for the evening was . . . yes, you guessed it "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." I sat in the pew so very excited as I knew this was the hymn we were to study. This was also the hymn I used to sing to my girls every night before going to bed. God is so good to always lead me and show me with such fun confirmations! Now onto the rest of our study.

Where do you turn in times of trouble? Where do you turn in times of joy? How about distress, celebration, sadness, etc.? Can you say you keep your eyes fixed on Him in all things? Do others see Him in you? Is God your priority? Are you seeking His attention or others?

Your answers to these questions will certainly depend on whether or not you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. This hymn tells us "there's light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free"! Salvation is for everyone, and when God says everyone, He means every single person on this earth! He wants everyone to turn to Him and be saved including you! Isaiah 45:22 says "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other." Life with Him and turning to Him in all things truly makes your life freeing and gives you a peace which no one can truly understand. Philippians 4:7 says "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Don't you want that for yourself? Is He drawing you to Himself? Oh how I pray for each of you that do not know Him! Answer Him if He is calling! It will be the greatest gift you will ever receive! Please e-mail me with questions. I am more than happy to share Christ with you!

And if you have been saved by the blood of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ, then you are to set your hearts on things above and to share Him with others. Do your actions show that you focus on Him and that you are a new creation of the King? Do people see Christ when they look at you or do they see someone that is always in a "tizzy" over everything? As I was trying to finish up writing this study, I also had another task looming over my head that had to be completed the same day and would take hours to complete. The puppy continually wanted outside, there was a lot of noise in the household, and my mind was reeling with the thoughts of all that had to be done. It was about to consume me. Panic was going to set in. God was letting me live this lesson. Did I want my family to see frustration, panic, and anger or did I want them to see Jesus? Of course, I wanted them to see Jesus but it was really, really hard. I had to focus my entire being on Christ or I would have lost it. I am sure many of you have had very similar experiences. It's not fun but by focusing on God and truly giving it all to Him, it is doable!

Mark 10:27 "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

So in the hard times, the deadlines, the celebrations set your hearts on things above, and just as the hymn tells us ". . . the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."

Colossians 3:1-3 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

What a great promise, and what a way to tackle everything in life! So, will you turn to Him in all things? Your faith must not only believe God but your faith should also be visible to others. People are watching! I love how my Life Application Bible study notes put it "To live effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. We will stumble if we look away from Him to stare at ourselves or at the circumstances surrounding us. We should be running for Christ, not ourselves, and we must always keep Him in sight." I knew I would stumble with all of my commitments if I didn't focus on Him. So will you remember to fix your eyes upon Jesus in all things?

Hebrews 12:2 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Below you will find the sheet music to "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." Make sure you look at the links I have included for you below the hymn.

Click here to read the words of this hymn.

Click here to listen to a beautiful version of this hymn by Selah. Close your eyes, enjoy the harmony, and listen to the words.

For my 5x7 page today, I used the Hebrews 12:2 verse listed above from the ODBD set called Cross of Christ. The hymn comes from a hymnal I have on hand. I copied it, colored the printer paper in Tim Holtz Distress Stain antique linen, and then I tore the edges and attached it to my page.

Papers: Memory Box Minuet, Paper Trey Ink cs
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Cross of Christ
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink faded jeans and walnut stain
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Distress Stain antique linen and weathered wood, Deluxe Designs scalloped square chipboard, Hug Snug hand-dyed seam binding, Prima leaves, flower from Wild Orchid Crafts, Maya Road kraft envelope, sewing machine

Remember to use Keyword HSCRC12 when posting your creations in any online galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous study, please see this post here. So, how have you turned to God and how has it effected you? Maybe you are not led to write a hymn as Helen Lemmel did but God has great plans for you if you will continue to focus on Him in all things! Blessings to you as you study in the week ahead!