My Faith Looks Up to Thee
Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and sometimes my favorite verse to a hymn is not the first, but the second verse, like this one.
May thy rich grace impart strength to my failing heart,
My zeal inspire.
As thou hast died for me, oh, may my love to thee
Pure, warm and changeless be a living fire.
Oh, do I love that verse, that second one. Sometimes in the middle of the night when I cannot sleep, I use it as a prayer; I lean on those words; I repeat it over and over. And also, the next verse which goes:
When life’s dark maze I tread and griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my Guide; Bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray from Thee aside.
And okay while I’m at it, I may as well share the last verse which I also love. Its words are pretty encouraging. The writer says:
When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold sullen stream over me roll;
Blest Savior, then in love, fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above, a ransomed soul!
You know, often I hear people say that they don’t know how to pray, to pray effectively, they haven’t quite grasped the language of prayer, they’re not sure what words to use. Well hey; these three verses of this beautiful hymn, “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” are like a primer for anyone looking to elevate their prayer life. Even still, I will often crack open a hymnal and borrow the words of a timeless hymn as my prayer for the day.
Not long ago I was going through a difficult time emotionally, and once again, I found myself praying to God: ‘May thy rich grace impart strength to my fainting heart, Lord Jesus, My zeal inspire would you? As thou hast died for me, oh, may my love to thee pure, warm and changeless be a living fire.’ Aren’t those great words to use in prayer, maybe when your spirit is sagging and you feel overwhelmed by the challenges of life? Because life is hard; I tell you it’s hard. Jesus said in this world you will have trouble and in Acts 14 it says, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” When we sign up for the Christian walk, there’s no fine print in the contract– it’s spelled out: living for Jesus is full of hardship!
And this beautiful old hymn, “My Faith Looks Up to Thee,” speaks to the way life really is for you and me. Maybe there aren’t so many times I can honestly welcome a trial as a friend, but I can welcome it as reality, as the way things are, as something I need to embrace and not grumble or complain about. And so, in the middle of the night when my back is killing me and I simply cannot call my husband one more time to turn me in bed, I will quietly offer up the words of this old hymn as a prayer, and you know what? The peace of God settles over me like a blanket. So today, whatever challenges you are facing, whatever load you may be bearing, it’s my prayer that your faith will look up to God. May His rich grace impart strength to your fainting heart; keep singing this hymn throughout the rest of your day.
Previously aired as #7829 on 5/3/12
© Joni and Friends
