I’ve just returned from a visit to a dear friend, our friendship goes back almost 60 years. She is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease – unable to move, unable to speak.

I look into her eyes; does she recognize me? I talk to her; does she hear me? I don’t know what, if anything, passes through her mind; but she is still my friend. I watch her eyes, hoping to see them open and focus – perhaps a sign of recognition? And I listen for the occasional mumbled syllable. I don’t understand it, but I think she is trying to communicate. Oh how precious those mumblings are.

Makes me think of our Lord Jesus watching over us. He longs for our eyes to turn to Him, to look upon Him, to focus on Him, to see His glorious face. In 1922 Helen H. Lemmel wrote the spiritual song, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.” The words of the refrain are still a moving reminder.

“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.”

Our Lord Jesus also listens for us. He yearns to hear from us. He welcomes even our feeble mumblings and moans and receives them with joy. Paul speaks of this in his letter to the Romans, where he writes that the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us. He hears our wordless groans.

I watch and listen for my friend, but only for a short spell. Then I leave, hoping to return another day. But the greatest friend of all, our Lord Jesus, watches and listens for us every day and every night. His watchfulness knows no end. We are wrapped forever in His unconditional love.

Judy