Turn
by Robin Tyler
At 84 years old his eyes closed for the last time. That same day his eyes opened to a glorious site he lived longing to see. A couple days later a fitting tribute was sung by his youngest grandson, ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’. It is a song we have frequently sang in church throughout my life. On this day the song found its way into a deep soft place in my heart. As he sang the last verse, my breathing slowed to meditate on each word.
His Word shall not fail you--He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
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.
Wheels turn, planets turn, door knobs turn, vinyl records turn, screwdrivers turn, pages turn, hands on a clock turn, and our head can turn. All forms of turning has a central axis which it pivots and turns on. Turning takes effort and energy. Turning can be a partial turn or a full turn.
The most transformable thing that turns is a heart. A slight bend of the neck, a gentle tilt of the head, a small flick of the eye, a half step, or even a pinky toe in His direction and God knows. Nothing which might feel monumental to us, just a slight, gentle, small, half step or even a pinky toe toward Him, and He will do great things. Mountains will move, walls will tumble, and lives will change.
God has already done, and will continue to do, the hard things. God made a new covenant for our salvation. (Hebrews 9:15 NIV). God sent His only Son to die. (John 3:16 NIV). God’s grace, and it alone, offers us the gift of salvation and eternal life. (Ephesians 2:8 NIV). All He requires of us is - believe.
T - Trust Him for salvation.
Physically, there are approximately 12 inches between our head and our heart. Spiritually transferring true, enduring, eternal, and endearing Words requires a circumcision of the heart so those words can move the 12 inches from our head to our heart. (Deuteronomy 30:6 NIV)
U - Understand His Word is true.
Relying on His true Word our heart can increasingly become dependent upon Him. Taking steps following Him leads us out of the ordinary into the extraordinary. At one time I was part of the world that was dying. A man at a youth rally relied on the truth of God’s Word, followed the Lord believing His promises, and shared his testimony. My heart turned to Jesus and was changed that night, as well as other youth. (Romans 4:20-21 NIV)
R - Rely on His Word. Follow Him.
The word ‘Go’ means to move or travel in a particular way, or to move out of or away from a place. Everyone’s ‘Go’ is different. The Angel Gabriel told Zechariah this about his son John the Baptist “And he will ‘Go’ on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:17 NIV). John the Baptist’s ‘Go’ prepared a lot of hearts to turn and be ready for Jesus’s appearance as the Messiah. Our ‘Go’ will look different than John the Baptist’s. While the message will be similar in preparing hearts to turn and be ready for the appearance of Jesus, the appearance we are waiting is Jesus’s return to reign as King of Kings and take us to live with Him forever. As long as there are hearts that need to turn, go.
N - Never look back. Go tell.
T-U-R-N.
Trust Him for salvation
Understand His Word is true
Rely on His Word. Follow Him.
Never look back. Go tell.
Someone chooses to follow Jesus and carries the Word to the ‘world that is dying’. The Word is placed at their dying feet. There is a pivotal moment the Spirit works. They can turn and believe or turn away. By the power of the Holy Spirit giving them faith, and nothing else, they believe. We get to do the easy part following and carrying the gospel. God turns the heart.
His life was transformed. Closing his eyes here for the last time and opening them to look into Jesus’s wonderful face, made the turning of his eyes (heart) worth it all!
Prayer: Father give me a continuous desire to turn my eyes (heart) to Jesus.
Response: Trust, Understand, Rely, Never look back.
Verses:
“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” Hebrews 9:15 NIV
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 NIV
“The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.” Deuteronomy 30:6 NIV
“Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he promised.” Romans 4:20-21 NIV
