Take My Life, and Let It Be

In December of 1874, Frances Havergal visited Worcester, England with a group of friends, consisting of “some unconverted and long prayed for, some converted but not rejoicing Christians.” Much concerned for her friends' spiritual well-being, she had prayed to the Lord that she would be able to lead each of them to a genuine and joyful experience of Christ. By the last day of her five-day visit, the gracious Lord had answered her prayer completely. Unable to contain the inward joy welling up within her, Frances could not sleep that night. Instead, she spent most of the night praising and thanking the Lord while renewing her personal consecration to Him. During that blissful evening in the Lord, she composed the six couplets of the following hymn.

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.


Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.


Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.


Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.


Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.


Take my love; my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
(Hymns #445)

This hymn illustrates the utter thoroughness and the comprehensive detail of the author's consecration, which encompassed her time, her every move and word, her wealth, her thoughts, her decisions, her feelings—in short, her entire self. Our prayer, and even our consecration to the Lord, so often characterized by vague generalities, reflect the depthlessness of our spiritual life. Such generalities reveal how seldom we defer to the indwelling Lord and how little we actually commit to Him. Frances' consecration, in contrast, was solid, real and practical. Some years later, the phrase “Take my silver and my gold” was worked into her experience. She wrote, “[I shipped] off all my ornaments, including a jewel cabinet which is really fit for a countess, to the Church Missionary Society where they will be accepted and disposed of for me. I retain only a brooch for daily wear, which is a memorial of my dear parents. I had no idea I had such a jeweler's shop; nearly fifty articles are being packed off. I don't think I need tell you I never packed a box with such pleasure.” Indeed, the way to spiritual joy and blessing is to commit all to the faithful God. Through the compassions of God, may we cheerfully present ourselves to the Lord as a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable service (Rom. 12:2).

Hymns. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1966, 1980.