How Do You Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus?
How Do You Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus?
I’ve had this song on my heart “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. “
The chorus continues… “look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”
I find myself wondering today what does that really mean? How do you in a practical way turn your eyes upon Jesus? And when you look fully into His wonderful face, what do you see?
I had a few thoughts…
First, to turn your eyes upon some thing it requires focus. It means looking away from other things to intently gaze on the object of your attention.
Currently I am painfully aware that I need to turn my attention away from myself. When I focus on all my faults and deficiencies it only brings gloom and discouragement. Instead, I need to look at my Savior. Focusing on Jesus can bring health hope and endurance.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.12.1-3.NIV
To look fully at someone requires focus and attention.
I also suspect that it requires trust in the other person’s heart. It’s difficult to look directly at someone if we are afraid of them or if we are harboring guilt or shame.
I’ve seen young children when they’ve been naughty resist looking directly at their parent. But when they say “sorry “ and remember they are loved they eagerly embrace their loving daddy and once again they enjoy being with him. Just as we must trust another person in order to not look away, we must trust the loving forgiving heart of Jesus to adoringly gaze on His face. It’s wonderful that even if we’ve done wrong, When we are genuinely repentant we can be forgiven and cleansed. He allows us to come before Him and enjoy His presence.
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.4.14-16.NIV
How do things become “strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace”? I think it’s perhaps analogous to a stage performance. Where, or on whom the audience focuses attention depends on where the light is shining brightly. Other characters or scenery may still exist in the background but the spotlight is on the lead role for the important scene at the moment. I realized that the reality of some circumstances that might even be unpleasant or undesirable may continue to exist in my life but that’s not the important place to put my focus. I need to be intentional in my efforts to fix my eyes on the light of His glory and grace.
This requires therefore that I turn away from the darkness, recognize the light and focus on Who Jesus is and what He has done for me. Learning and believing God‘s promises are a vital part of this process.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Psalms 119:105 NIV
https://psalm.bible/psalm-119-105
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
What about you? What are your thoughts about turning your eyes upon Jesus and looking full into His wonderful face?
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