{HSCRC13} Hymn #10, Open My Eyes, That I May See

Hymn Challenge #10: Open My Eyes, That I May See
Words Written by: Clara H. Scott
b. December 3, 1841; d. June 21, 1897

Not much is known about Mrs. Clara H. Scott. She married Hen­ry Clay Scott in 1861, and she taught music at a ladies seminary in Iowa. She is also known for publishing The Royal Anthem Book in 1882. She died tragically in 1897 when she was thrown from a buggy by a runaway horse.

So, how many of you would love to see a billboard from God each day or in a situation? As I struggle to know His will for me and follow Him, sometimes I know I say "God, can you just put up a billboard for me today?" Well, this hymn by Clara H. Scott talks about that, and asks Him to open our eyes to see His truth, to open our ears to hear His voice, and to open our mouths to share His truth. Often in today's world we are too busy, too selfish, too tied up with our own desires to really let go and follow Him. We need to kill our self-will so that we can be fruitful for God. If we claim to belong to Him, we must follow Him. Our relationship with Him should compel us to follow Him! Let's look at parts from each verse:

Verse 1
"Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me; . . ."

Psalm 119:17-18 "Be good to Your servant while I live, that I may obey Your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law."

He desires our obedience and wants us to follow Him daily. If we try to do things our way, most of the time it just leads to trouble and frustration and ruins our witness for Christ. If we really believe His truth, then we will follow it. If we speak but our actions do not follow, then what does that say about our belief in His Word? The way we act and react to different situations tells others what we believe about Christ.

Verse 2
"Open my ears, that I may hear voices of truth Thou sendest clear; . . ."

Matthew 11:15 "Whoever has ears, let them hear."

John 8:32-36 "'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered Him, 'We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?' Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'"

I love what the commentary in my Life Application Bible says about these verses. So, I am going to quote them here "Jesus Himself is the truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from the consequences of sin, from self-deception, and from deception by Satan. He shows us clearly the way to eternal life with God. Thus Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want but freedom to follow God. As we seek to serve God, Jesus' perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be. Sin has a way of enslaving us, controlling us, dominating us, and dictating our actions. Jesus can free you from this slavery that keeps you from becoming the person God created you to be. If sin is restraining, mastering, or enslaving you, Jesus can break its power over your life."

And something else I want to add. If we try to hold in our sin or "hide it," it will continue to fester in us. I think most of us have probably tried to do that, and if we are honest with ourselves, it is not a nice feeling. Turn to Him, ask for forgiveness and let Him set you free! Jesus will meet us where we are and help us overcome our sin if we just ask Him! Do you recognize where He is prodding you to change? Then as you do change, others will see that and the truth is then being shared with them as you surrender your life to Him.

Verse 3
"Open my mouth, and let me bear, Gladly the warm truth everywhere; . . ."

Psalm 51:15 "Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare Your praise."

He desires us to glorify Him each day by not only with our words but by our actions. Feel free to share Him and praise Him openly. You don't know how He will use what you say. Be relentless in speaking the truth about Jesus no matter where you are! As we speak, God will use it as He sees fit. However, I also have a word of caution—we should not hammer the truth into someone as it could hinder their growth. That is the job of the Holy Spirit, not ours. You don't know what He will do with the little seeds you drop!

Below you will find the sheet music for "Open My Eyes, That I May See." Click the picture to enlarge and copy the image. Also, to hear this hymn, click here. It's a bit slower than what I am used to but it's still a pretty version of the hymn.

For my 6x6 page today, I used the Psalm 51:15 verse above. I used my typewriter to type the verse this week. I LOVE using my typewriter so much, and with it out on my desk now, it's very easy to access. I also have a lot of symbolism on my page again—the Blue Fern Studios Vintage Locks chipboard to show that Jesus is the key to my daily living and the Prima heart and butterfly trinket to show that I love Christ and that I am a new creation in Christ.

Papers: Simple Stories I {Heart} Summer, Bo Bunny Country Garden, The Scrap Cake Jasna Strona Zycia, Bazzill cs 
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Vintage Locks (painted with gesso and Lindy's Stamp Gang mists) 
Embellishments: The Scrap Cake My Private Happiness tags; Jillibean Soup white frame placemat; Prima Vintage Trinket; Petaloo Autumn Dahlias, blue/green Mini Pearl Daisies, and aqua Wild Blossoms; The Twinery marigold; Finnabair template with Liquitex light modeling paste and Lindy's Stamp Gang starburst; Wild Orchid Crafts leaves; misc. ticket; sewing machine

Remember to use Keyword HSCRC13 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 studies, please see this post here. Have a blessed week ahead!