Frances Havergal created one of the classic hymns of discipleship in “Take My Life and Let It Be.” Havergal was the daughter of an Anglican clergyman. She began her discipleship early by memorizing Bible verses at age four and writing hymn verses by age seven.
“Take My Life and Let It Be” is a prayer that God would consecrate us – set us apart – from the world. It is also a prayer that as we grow in our sanctification – our holy living to our holy God – we be more and more like our God. Each of the six verses begins with the verb “Take,” giving the sense of a continuing petition of service to the Lord.
Verse one: Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee; take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.
In ancient Israel, kings and high priests were anointed with oil, an act that consecrated them, setting them apart for a holy purpose. We were consecrated to the Lord as we were anointed with water, Word, and Spirit in our Baptism. We were set apart as holy, consecrated for God’s sacred purpose. Verse one asks the Lord to take our moments and our days and let them flow to the holy Lord in ceaseless praise.
Verse two: 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.
Our old sinful self has hands and feet that naturally only serve ourselves. But as we are consecrated to our Lord, we are made alive in the waters of Baptism. We die to sin and are buried with Christ. We rise to a new life in him. We ask the Lord to take our hands to humbly serve others in love. We ask the Lord to make our feet swift and beautiful, like those described by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 52:7), as they carry us into the world with the message of forgiveness and hope in Christ.
Verse three: Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my King; take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee.
As we belong to the body of Christ, we ask the Lord to use our whole bodies in service to him and those who belong to him. We ask him to take our voice that we may continue to sing his praises with the saints on earth and saints in heaven. St. James warns that the tongue cannot be tamed (James 3:8). Yet, we ask the Lord to consecrate our mouths and tongues so our lips may be turned from unholy speech that denigrates God to holy speech that glorifies our God.
Verse four: Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold; take my intellect and use ev’ry pow’r as thou shalt choose.
Martin Luther once said, “People go through three conversions: The conversion of their head, their heart, and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time.” We pray in this verse that the Lord would convert our pocketbooks, purses, bank accounts and 401Ks. The Lord has not withheld anything physically or spiritually from us. We ask the Lord to use our intellect and money, so we do not withhold anything from him.
Verse five: 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.
The madness we see in our current culture is because people are living only for themselves. The feelings of the heart and desires of the flesh are all that matter. To protect us from our culture and shield us from ourselves, we ask the Lord to take our will and make it his and no longer ours. We pray the Lord crucify our sinful nature to make room for his throne in our hearts.
Verse six: Take my love, my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store; take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee.
We join with Frances Havergal in asking the Lord to consecrate our love, feet, and whole selves in service to him. In this way we are different and set apart from the world and set apart to the Lord. Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.