Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
This is another one of my favorite hymns. It was originally written by Helen Lemmel in 1922. Recently, in 2019, a group of writers (George Romanacce, Nathan Stiff, Nic Trout, Kevin Winebarger) from Sovereign Grace Music added some new lyrics and a chorus. The story of how this hymn came about is inspiring. Lemmel, born in 1863, immigrated to the United States from England in 1876 as the child daughter of a Methodist minister. In 1907, her strong musical talent led her to Germany for 4 years of intensive study. In 1911 she returned to the states with her husband whom she’d met and married in Germany. Upon returning she devoted herself to writing and arranging music for the church. But a few years into their marriage, she became very ill which resulted in her loss of sight. Unwilling to care for a blind wife, her husband left her. Tragically blind and alone, she struggled to deal with her sorrow. At this point, a woman named Lilias Trotter enters the story. Lilias Trotter had the makings