Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

“After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. ” –Matthew 17:1-2

Sometimes you just cannot do without friends. I remember my friend Angie in high school. We suffered through geometry class together, helping one another, laughing at our mistakes, and realizing that we really did not understand angles or anything geometric at all. But what stood out to me about Angie was that she talked about Jesus like He was a real person. Her face would light up as she talked about Him and how He was active in her life. A radiance shown from her eyes, a joy that I saw in no one else. Peace and love exuded from every pore of her body.

And I wanted that.

I had a struggling prayer life that mostly consisted of confessions for things I had done and hopes that God would help me be a better person. I went to church and youth group, but God did not feel real in my life. God was in a book, you sang hymns to God, you prayed to God, but that was about it.

Angie changed that all. I began to pray that I might see God as a real person. That Jesus would become real to me like He obviously was in Angie’s life. And God answered my prayer. After we graduated, Angie invited me to a youth worship service at her church. I went and found more people my age just like Angie. I listened to student after student get up and tell what Jesus was doing in their lives, and I saw the joy that radiated from their faces. During worship and communion, I went forward, kneeled, and prayed. Immediately a wave of love, peace, and joy poured over me like an invisible waterfall. I felt it cover my body, and tears started to stream down my face. I encountered the living, resurrected Jesus Christ, a real Person. I went home from that service changed, singing praise songs to Jesus all night, basking in the joy and peace of His presence.

“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.”

These lyrics from an old Newsboys song have been going through my head this morning. They remind me of how God led a girl Angie into my life, to help me turn my eyes fully upon Jesus. And I have never been the same since.

Perhaps you have an “Angie” in your life, helping you set your eyes upon Jesus. If not, pray for God to be made real to you. Just like His transfiguration on the mountainside in the text above, He will reveal Himself to you. The disciples saw Him in all His glory. And through others like Angie, you can too.

Prayer–“Lord Jesus, I pray that I may turn my eyes to you today. Rid me of all the distractions I have and help me quiet myself and turn to you, for nothing more than time to bask in your peace, joy, and love. In your Name I pray. Amen.”