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Posted by Raquel Manning | Posted on 21-08-2011

From Flashy to Faint: The Story Behind “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”

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Lately I've caught myself spending more and more time sitting in front of the computer, scrolling through my smart phone, or – as embarrassing as it is to admit – simply standing idly watching a television show that I care nothing about.  There's just something about the flashy, new technology and entertainment that attracts people, and there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that it will only get worse.

Sure, there's nothing inherently wrong with being entertained, but I can't help but feel like we as believers are robbing ourselves by spending so much time seeking the entertainment. After all, we are called to a higher mission, as  2 Timothy 2:4 states:

"No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier."


So how do we "detangle" ourselves from the world that is constantly crying out for our attention?

In 1918, a missionary read a tract entitled "Focused" to a friend, Helen H. Lemmel, that contained the answer to that question. The tract stated, "So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness."

Ironically, Lemmel was blind, but her soul was deeply impacted by the words she heard. She immediately began to write and sing in her soul the chorus of the hymn now known as "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" (which can be read and heard here). She wrote the verses within the same week.

Do these words have the same impact on your soul? I pray that we would all be willing to stop looking around and start looking to Christ, the One whose radiance is brighter than any flashing lights this world has to offer.

Posted by Raquel Manning | Posted on 24-07-2011

O Praise Him: The Story Behind “All Creatures of Our God and King”

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I walked outside tonight just in time to see the sunset. Looking above, I could still see the blue sky, but in the distance was a beautiful array of orange and pink, blanketed by dark storm clouds. Lightning flashed atop the gray with no sound, too far to away to be heard.

It was undoubtedly a testimony of the Lord’s goodness, and I almost felt privileged to witness it. It occurred to me, however, that this majestic scene was not simply crafted for my or anyone else’s enjoyment. These heavenly bodies were made for a purpose. They were made to worship their Creator.

Around 1225, St.Francis of Assisi wrote a hymn exhorting all creation to worship God. Francis was a lover of nature, and many of the stories about his life were of his interaction with animals. His hymn, called, “Cantico di fratre sole,” or “Song of Brother Sun,” urged all nature – including the sun – to praise its God and King.

The English version of the song (which can be read and heard here) appeared in England in 1919 at a children’s worship festival.

Let us not forget that we are included in this exhortation, which originated from Psalm 148:7-13:

“Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.”

I pray that we will exalt His name – from every glorious sunrise to breathtaking sunset – and every moment in between.

Posted by Raquel Manning | Posted on 08-07-2011

Modern-Day Peter: The Story Behind “I Will Follow”

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I walked away feeling like a failure… again. I was checking out at the grocery store the other day, and an opportunity arose during the conversation with the cashier to share Christ.

Sure, every conversation is an opportunity, but this one was different. This woman needed help and was practically begging for an answer. “I have the answer!” I screamed in my head. Somehow, though, the words never came across my lips, and before I knew it, I was walking out the door staring blankly at my receipt.

I guess you can call me Peter. I speak boldly with my lips that I will never deny my Lord, but when pressure arises, I often cower in the fear of man.

Chris Tomlin also recognized this common reaction in believers – including the Apostle Peter – and wrote a bold anthem in response. His song, “I Will Follow,” speaks of following Christ where He leads and living for Him alone. Tomlin acknowledged that although Peter failed many times, his story was not finished. God transformed Peter into a bold man who followed Christ until his death, sacrificing his life for the sake of the Lord.

Could we make a claim as bold?

“Where You go, I’ll go. Where You stay, I’ll stay

When You move, I’ll move. I will follow You.

Whom You love, I’ll love. How You serve, I’ll serve.

If this life I lose, I will follow You.”

Although I fail often, my prayer is that I will follow Christ where He leads, regardless of the cost. I’m thankful that my story is not finished, and I hope that I can make these bold claims, wherever the Lord may lead me – even if it’s just to the grocery store.

 

Posted by Raquel Manning | Posted on 17-06-2011

How I Trust Him: The Story Behind “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”

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Sometimes I can’t help but think that despite living in a country full of abundance, good health, and pleasure, I’m missing something.

Sure, I’m thankful for my family, my health and my, well, stuff, but more often than not, I find myself placing my trust in them instead of Christ. When I realize it, I can and often do repent, but I wonder sometimes what would happen if God were to take it all away. Would I still trust Him?

Louisa M.R. Stead was faced with that question. At the age of 21, she purposed in her heart to become a missionary to China. After making plans for the move, though, her health proved too frail for the Chinese environment.

Louisa moved on, getting married shortly after and giving birth to a daughter. On a family picnic sometime around 1879 or 1880, Louisa’s husband drowned. According to some accounts, he died saving their drowning daughter.

Louisa took her daughter and moved to South Africa as a missionary, and there she wrote the hymn“’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.”

Although she lost her health, her dream, and her beloved husband, Louisa still found the sweetness of trusting in the Lord, writing:

“I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And to know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.”

Such a great example is found in Louisa Stead, and I pray that you and I would have the kind of faith that she possessed, singing confidently,
 
“Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!”

Posted by Raquel Manning | Posted on 13-06-2011

No Shadow of Turning: The Story Behind “Great is Thy Faithfulness”

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If there’s one thing certain in this world, it’s uncertainty.  The weather can change in an instant. Daily plans can go awry with a single phone call. People might – and probably will – disappoint.

Believers, however, are intimately acquainted with the only certainty. God is faithful, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As the psalmist writes, His mercies endure forever. 

Thomas Obediah Chisholm wholeheartedly believed this promise of Scripture and clung particularly to Lamentaions 3:22-23: “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Chisholm’s health was unstable, and employment was sporadic, but he discovered that new blessings from God came every morning.

In the early 1920s, Chisholm wrote a poem on the subject and sent it among others to his friend, musician William Runyan, who prayerfully composed music for the poem. "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" was published in 1923 and achieved worldwide fame years later when it was sung by George Beverley Shea and the choirs at the Billy Graham Crusades.

The world around us may crumble, but as the song says, God does not change, and His compassions do not fail. As He has been, He forever will be.

Psalm 117
"Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol Him, all peoples!
For great is His steadfast love toward us,
And the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!"

Join with me today in praising the Lord, our faithful and merciful Friend!

Posted by Raquel Manning | Posted on 03-06-2011

Then Sings my Soul: The Story Behind “How Great Thou Art”

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I love getting my nearly 2-year-old daughter out of the car at night. As I unbuckle her from her car seat, I can see the anticipation on her face. She jumps into my arms, bends her neck to the sky and whispers with genuine wonder, “Stars…”

She’s fascinated by them, and she’s definitely not alone. Many people search for meaning among the celestial bodies,  and some are able to find it in glorifying the Creator of it all.

In 1885, a Swedish minister wrote a poem called “O Mighty God” describing the reaction of the heart to considering the works of God. Although the poem was published and eventually put to music, it did not achieve widespread fame.  

English missionary Stuart Hine heard the hymn, however, and was so moved by it that he made his own arrangement. Hine said that the inspiration for the verses was his experiences in Russia’s Carpathian Mountains, including being caught in a thunderstorm, hearing birds singing near the Romanian border, and seeing many of the mountain’s residents coming to Christ.

Hine’s hymn, “How Great Thou Art” was brought to America and achieved worldwide fame after being sung 99 times at a Billy Graham Crusade in 1957. The choir of the crusade joined in the majestic refrain, “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art!”

Truly the Creator of the universe is worthy of our praise!

Jeremiah 51:15 says, “It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, And by His understanding He stretched out the heavens.”

I encourage you to ponder the greatness of our God today in the beauty of Creation and his vast love for us.

Posted by Raquel Manning | Posted on 25-04-2011

While We Were Still Sinners: The Story Behind “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus”

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Of all of the attributes of God, there aren’t many discussed more than His love.  Regrettably, though, amidst all the dialogue and personal beliefs of how this attribute is displayed, I think the true meaning of His love has been lost – or skewed at best. The Word of God, however, paints a clear picture of how God demonstrates His love for us.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

The love of God is shown in the cross of Christ, in the redemption of man to Himself. The love of God can capture a man bound to his sin and make him a child of God.

Samuel Trevor Francis experienced this love on his way home from work on a winter’s stormy night. Lonely, he crossed over a bridge and contemplated ending his life. Francis cried out for God’s mercy and put his trust in Jesus looking out at the dark waters under him.

Though he became a merchant by trade, he loved preaching and writing hymns, including “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus,” written in 1875. The first line of the hymn could be a testament of his conversion night:

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean, in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love,
Leading onward, leading homeward, to my glorious rest above!

This past weekend, as we celebrated the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, may we grasp the fullness of God’s deep love for us displayed through Him. Praise be to God, the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
 

Posted by Raquel Manning | Posted on 09-04-2011

How Can It Be: The Story Behind “The Father’s Love”

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A dear friend of mine and her husband are currently preparing their home and hearts to adopt a baby girl due next month. The way my friend refers to this precious child is as if she is preparing to deliver herself.  Even on her Facebook page, she was asked by a friend if she was having another baby because of the language she used when referring to her. She is simply overwhelmed with love for this little girl.

I’ve always found the adoption process amazing. To see how much love someone can have for a child who is not physically his or her own is nothing short of beautiful.

What these parents are doing is not just promising to take care of the physical needs of a child. They are promising to take these children into their homes and treat them as if they were never NOT a part of the family. They are now their sons and daughters.

What a beautiful example -though on a much smaller scale- we have of our position in Christ after salvation. Ephesians 1:5 says that we were predestined to be “adopted as sons through Jesus Christ.”

In 2009, songwriter Joel Sczebel was meditating on the doctrine of divine adoption when questions began to arise such as “How can this be? How have rebels come to be children of God?” The answer to all of these questions was simply the Father’s love for us.

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Posted by Raquel Manning | Posted on 31-03-2011

Sing All the Day Long: The Story Behind “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow”

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Last night I went to sleep singing – not out loud, of course, but I simply could not get a certain worship song out of my head. Even when a noise awakened me in the middle of the night, my mind was singing. I’d like to think my dreams were impacted by the song, but I suppose I’ll never know. I can attest, however, that my morning was most definitely impacted. Shortly after I arose, the familiar melody found its way to my lips, and I caught myself singing, “Wonderful Savior, my heart belongs to Thee…”

What a difference immediate worship was to my usual morning grumblings!  My mind began to dwell on things of Lord instead of the annoyances of the world, and it was such an unexpected blessing.

But this concept is nothing new.

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Posted by Raquel Manning | Posted on 08-03-2011

Blindness – the Ability to See: The Story Behind “All the Way My Savior Leads Me”

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When I was younger, I watched a show on television about blindness. I remember thinking how sad it must be to never be able to see a beautiful sunset or the face of a loved one. I caught myself actually feeling sorry for them, but then I heard something that I've never forgotten.

One of the women stated that because her eyes were disabled, her other senses and features were enhanced. She could hear better than most and smell scents that many other people would never notice. She was actually thankful for her blindness.

Since then, I've wondered at times if there are things in life that I have missed because of my ability to see, even though I am thankful to God for my vision and the wonderful memories I have of things that I have seen. 

I also wonder if I have a false sense of independence.

Have you ever participated in the trust-building exercise where one person is blindfolded and another person is responsible for guiding the first to a certain spot without him or her tripping or walking into something? The first person is completely dependent on the second. Without the blindfold, the first person could find the spot alone. Blindness often calls for guidance, but perfect vision often depends on no one.

Fanny Crosby understood dependence.

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