“Take My Life And Let It Be” by Frances Havergal
#254 in Songs and Hymns of Life
In this post, we will again explore Frances Havergal’s “Take My Life And Let It Be.” But first, let’s try singing it to a different tune. Her father, Rev. William H. Havergal, wrote the tune “Patmos” just for this hymn. Where in the previous post we commented on the joy brought out by the tune “Hendon,” this original tune is more stately, and I find it allows the words to be conveyed with more of a soberness. Sing through the hymn with the original tune below.
Verse 1
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.Verse 2
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.Verse 3
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.Verse 4
Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.Verse 5
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.Verse 6
Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Recently, as I’ve sung this to the more sober tune and read some of Havergal’s anecdotes and experiences, a small word is standing out to me in a new way. That word is ‘only.” It happens twice in this hymn. In verse 3, our voice is to sing always, only for our King. And at the end of verse 6, myself is ever, only and all for Thee.
I am familiar with giving myself or my time or my lips “always” to the Lord or “ever” to the Lord, but I am unfamiliar with the implication that they are then “only” for the Lord. My hands are not just to be employed in the Lord’s work, but should be available only for Him.My intellect can be useful in a Bible study, but even more than that, its function should not just be used by Him, but be reserved exclusively for Him. This already feels like I’m reading into this hymn too far.
But when we look at Havergal’s writings, we see that she had an ongoing experience and struggle with these practical details of this hymn. The Lord worked in her again and again to be ever, only for Him.
In the following extract from a letter to her sister, Havergal goes into detail about how the Lord had spoken to her about offering some expensive possessions to Christian work. She had often offered money to Christian causes and this wasn’t a case in which she was selling all indiscriminately. But in response to verse 4, “Take my sliver and my gold,” Havergal was following the Lord’s specific word and leading in this matter.
Leamington, August 1878. The Lord has shown me another little step, and of course I have taken it with extreme delight. “Take my silver and my gold” now means shipping off all my ornaments (including a jewel cabinet which is really fit for a countess) to the Church Missionary House, where they will be accepted and disposed of for me. I retain only a brooch or two for daily wear, which are memorials of my dear parents; also a locket with the only portrait I have of my niece in heaven, my Evelyn; and her “two rings,” mentioned in “Under the Surface.” But these I redeem, so that the whole value goes to the Church Missionary Society. I had no idea I had such a jeweller’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.
—Memorials of Frances Ridley Havergal, page 204
Note her ease of submitting to the Lord’s will, how it brought joy to her actions, and how complete was her offering—she redeemed, adding cash on top of the jewels, the items she wanted to hold back. Wow, this clarifies how detailed and absolute true obedience is. But she was well aware of the blessing obedience brings in.
A talented singer, she was often in demand to sing at various occasions. Her experience of consecration even went as far as what and for who she sang. Here are her words in her book, Kept For The Master’s Use written near the end of her life.
“I have wondered a little at being told by an experienced worker, that in many cases the voice seems the last and hardest thing to yield entirely to the King; and that many who think and say they have consecrated all to the Lord and His service, ‘revolt’ when it comes to be a question of whether they shall sing ‘always, only,’ for their King. They do not mind singing a few general sacred songs, but they do not see their way to really singing always and only unto and for Him. They want to bargain and balance a little. They question and argue about what proportion they may keep for self-pleasing and company-pleasing, and how much they must ‘give up’…”
—Kept for the Master’s Use, Havergal, Frances R. page 52-53
She goes on to share the view that when one fully gives oneself to the Lord, such measure (when drawn out by the Lord) should be “met with the loyal, free-hearted, happy response, ‘All! Yes, – all – for Jesus!’”
“That word “only” seemed to be pressed on my own heart. I saw it as I never saw it before, and that the ‘all for Jesus’ must be supplemented and sealed with ‘only for Jesus.'”
But this again is not just theory, legalism, or asceticism—it was the living fruit of her life seeking to know the depths of her union with Jesus Christ. Here is her experience.
In the women’s ward I read and prayed and sang, and then spoke to each alone. I saw there was sowing and reaping work wanted, and many entreated me to come again. When I went again God sent much blessing. One, very suffering, and who had a most distressed expression the day before, had found peace soon after I left her. She lay looking so happy, saying, “I’ve left it all with Him now, and it’s so beautiful!” Another, a moping groping Christian, told me that the words God helped me to say to her lifted her straight up into the sunlight. Before I left the ward, I do think another was enabled by God’s Spirit to trust in the Lord Jesus. From that time, it pleased God to send such continuous blessing.
But (I hardly know how it began, I think from my own couplet “. . . let me sing, Always, only, for my King,” in connection with that Thursday evening) somehow I felt that on both sides, singer and listeners, it was not really “only for Him,” but too much of F. R. H. That word “only” seemed to be pressed on my own heart. I saw it as I never saw it before, and that the “all for Jesus” must be supplemented and sealed with “only for Jesus.” It was a great and humbling revelation to me of failure in full consecration, where I really did not see it before; and of course I dare not and would not hold back from accepting and following, at any cost, what I felt God’s Holy Spirit was teaching me. I felt I could not, and would not, sing again the next Thursday as before, and that I must pass on this “only” to the Y. W. C. A.
Then I had copies printed of the Consecration Hymn (Take My Life And Let It Be’s original title), and had my name left out, and a blank line instead for the signature, which each might fill up alone and prayerfully. At the meeting, Mr. W opened it and then went away. Then I told them I had meant to sing them beautiful songs of Handel, but I could not and dare not; that I could not, after what my King had shown me last week, sing even partly to please them, it must be “only for my King.” Then I told them about this “only,” not merely totality of surrender but exclusiveness of allegiance, and how I wanted every one there to take this step with me that night, and to accept with me “Only for Jesus,” as our life motto, henceforth. To keep my word as to singing, I just sang “Precious Saviour, may I live only for Thee ” After prayer, I resumed the subject and then distributed the Consecration Hymns (very systematically done in one minute without disturbance); and, after running through it, asked those and those only to sign their names who meant it. Oh, M, it was such singing, one felt it was so real! Then I gave an interval of silent prayer which I felt was a time of real consecration. I was sure of His presence, so sure that He was bowing the hearts before Him by the Holy Spirit’s power. Was it not strange that the first “consecration meeting” I ever came in for should have been in my own hands?”
—Memorials of Frances Ridley Havergal, page164-166
May we join with her in a moment of silent prayer. We taste something sanctified, something holy in this testimony. May we also pledge, not just total surrender, but exclusive allegiance to our Lord and King. May we give our time, money, interests, energy, creativity and emotions only to be used for Him. May the Lord in mercy grant us sight to see when our body, soul and spirit are used for ourselves, or mixed with a portion of our interest, protectiveness or preference. And as we sing these words to the more sober tune “Patmos”, may the Lord be able to shine in detail upon our lives. Lord, we’d rather see Your interest furthered. Gain us completely. We entrust ourselves to You. We pledge ourselves to You, only. Amen.