This is a little embarrassing to admit in my mid-40s, but I’m scared of the dark. I remember as a little girl, I’d sprint down the hallway to my bedroom if the house was dark . . . I didn’t know what might be lurking there, but surely if I was quick, it wouldn’t get me! Even now, if I’m home alone at night, I’ll hear all kind of noises that aren’t usually there, and I sometimes even turn on a light just to make sure there aren’t any monsters hiding in the dark. 

For the past few weeks, we’ve been walking through the chorus of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”: “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.” When we’re afraid, turning on the light shows us reality. In a similar way, turning to the Light of the world, Jesus Christ, shows us the reality of His glory and grace in a dark and frightening world. 

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12) 

As those who follow Jesus, we don’t walk in darkness. When Jesus shines the light of His glory and grace on the darkness of this world, we look beyond the shadows of this fallen world and see the reality of God’s salvation, victory, and deliverance. 

We may feel like a failure, but we can look at Jesus’s cross and see the Savior who died for the forgiveness of our sins. We may feel like our situation is hopeless, but we can look at Jesus’s empty tomb and know He has given us hope by conquering every enemy. We may grieve now in a world that feels filled with darkness, but we can look at the ascended Jesus and know He’s gone to prepare a place for us in our heavenly, eternal home. 

Let the light of Jesus’s glory and grace shine on your circumstances today and see that this is your reality: Forgiveness. Hope. Peace. Eternity in Heaven. 

No matter what you face this week, walk in the light of His glory and grace. 

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When my daughter was younger, she was the flower girl at the wedding of one of her babysitters. She was nervous and excited and taking it all very seriously, but then she got to the point in the aisle where she could see her daddy sitting in the crowd of wedding guests. It was like the rest of the scene vanished when she saw his face. Her eyes widened and her hand shot up in the air to wave ecstatically at the one who mattered most. 

This month we’ve been making our way through the chorus of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” The chorus says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim . . .” 

If I’m honest, the things of earth are usually in vibrant color right before my eyes, demanding my attention. I need the Lord to give me eyes that see Him and cause the cares of this world to fade away as I focus on the One who matters most. I need eyes that see beyond today into eternity. 

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18) 

Sometimes I wish I could argue with the apostle Paul about his word choice in these verses. My troubles don’t feel light or momentary. The past 18 months, for example, have felt like a really heavy year that just won’t end. But I think Paul’s wording here is intentional – one day when we experience the eternal glory of heaven, we will look back on the covid pandemic and see it as a tiny speck of suffering we endured on our way to heaven. 

We don’t have to wait until heaven to have this perspective. When we focus on the unseen—our heavenly Father and the promises He has made—we know that our current struggles are not forever. We can persevere knowing that Jesus has secured our glorious forever home. 

No matter what you face this week, look at Jesus and watch your earthly troubles grow strangely dim. 

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For the first two posts in this series, click here and here.

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Have you ever seen someone and thought they were someone you know? Maybe you even waved or said hello, and then that embarrassing moment came when they turned around, or you got a closer look at their face, and you realized – oops! That’s not my friend! 

For the next few weeks, we’re considering what it means to turn our eyes upon Jesus. The chorus of the hymn by that name says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face . . .” But how can we find comfort in a face we can’t see or even picture in our mind? 

I don’t want to assume too much about what Helen Howarth Lemmel, the writer of the hymn, meant when she wrote this phrase. But when I think of looking into His wonderful face, I think of gazing on all that makes Jesus unique. Just as we distinguish between a stranger and a friend by looking at their face, we look at Jesus and see how different He is than anything else this world has to offer. 

We could study God’s Word for our entire lives and still never grasp all that is wonderful about Jesus. But here are a few verses for you to gaze upon today: 

Jesus is the fullness of God and also our Savior. “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20)

Jesus is all-powerful and reigning at God’s right hand. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:3) 

Jesus is our living hope. “. . . he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3b)

Jesus is our Shepherd who knows us and gave His life for us. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14-15) 

No matter what you face this week, look full in Jesus’s wonderful face. 

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(Click here to read the first devotional in this series.)

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When I feel stressed or sad, I often find myself at the piano, playing from a book of hymn arrangements that are just perfect for someone who hasn’t had a piano lesson in decades. One of my favorite arrangements in the book is “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” I love the hymn, but as the words ran through my head the other day, I thought, What good does it actually do to turn my eyes upon Jesus? I can’t see His face. I don’t even know what He looks like. How can there be real comfort here? I’ve been contemplating these questions ever since. 

In this month’s return of No Matter What Monday devotionals (thanks for allowing me a summer break, y’all!), we are going to look in depth at the concept of turning our eyes upon Jesus. We’ll make our way through the chorus of the hymn, looking at various Scripture as we go. If you’d like to listen to the song, one of my favorite arrangements is by Lauren Daigle – you can find it here (YouTube) or here (Spotify). 

As you may have guessed even if you don’t know the hymn, the chorus begins, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.” Turning to Jesus means acknowledging that He is the one to save us from the power of sin and sustain us through any struggle we face. 

“So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’” (John 6:67-69) 

Only Jesus is the Holy One of God. Only Jesus died for my sin and rose again. Only Jesus is the Word, the Truth, and the Life. Why would I turn to other things in my moments of stress or grief? How could a sweet treat, mind-numbing entertainment, or a Target run ever compare to my Savior? And yet, I often look to these counterfeit saviors for comfort and wonder why I still feel empty. 

Let’s turn our eyes to Jesus together, friends. He is so much better than anything else we look to for comfort and peace. 

No matter what you face this week, turn your eyes upon Jesus. 

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