HYMN OF THE MONTH:
We Praise ou, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator
by Julia Cory, 1882-1963
Two women with two different gifts helped give us one simple reminder: keep your eyes on Jesus.
Lilias Trotter was born in England in 1853 and was a remarkably gifted artist. The influential art critic John Ruskin believed she had the potential to become one of England’s great artists.
But Lilias also felt called to ministry, eventually moving to North Africa to share the gospel in Algeria.
She never stopped noticing the world with an artist’s eye. One day, observing how a dandelion turned toward the sunlight helped her picture the importance of a life focused fully on Christ. She later wrote in a little booklet called Focussed:
“Turn full your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look and look at Him.”
Years later, those words reached Helen Lemmel, a gifted singer, music teacher, and songwriter. Born in England in 1863 and raised in the United States, Helen had devoted much of her life to music.
In 1918, a friend gave Helen a copy of Focussed. Lilias’s words immediately captured her attention, and Helen later recalled that the words and melody of a refrain came to her first.
The verses followed, pointing the weary soul to the Savior who gives light and life, conquered death and sin, keeps His promises, and sends us to tell others of His salvation.
Lilias used a paintbrush. Helen used music. God used the work of one woman to inspire the other, and more than a century later, their words still point us in the same direction:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
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Read & Relate
We Praise You, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator
By Julia Cory, 1882-1963
We praise You, O God, our Redeemer, Creator,
In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before You, we kneel and adore You,
We bless Your holy name, glad praises we sing.
Isa. 431; Ps. 100:3-4; Ps. 95:6; Rev. 4:11; Heb. 13:15; Ps. 103:1-4
We worship You, God of our fathers, we bless You;
Through life's storm and tempest our Guide You have been.
When perils o'ertake us, You will not forsake us,
And with Your help, O Lord, our battles we win.
Deut. 7:9; Ps. 46:1-3; Isa 43:2; 2 Chr. 20:15; Isa. 58:11; Ps. 32:8; 2 Cor. 48-9; 1 Cor. 15:57
With voices united our praises we offer,
And gladly our songs of thanksgiving we raise.
With You, Lord, beside us, Your strong arm will guide us.
To You, our great Redeemer, forever be praise.
Rom. 15:5-6; Col. 3:16-17; Eph. 5:19-20; Isa. 40:10-11; Isa. 52:10; Jude 24-25
