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 silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
This hymn is No. 399 in our United Methodist Hymnal. It was written by Frances Havergal in 1874 and is a beautiful prayer. Havergal wanted to know God and Jesus on a deeper level. She often struggled with health issues, but she used her gifts to share the love of God with other people.
She knew that when she gave to others, she would experience God’s love and grace in new and exciting ways.
One of the lines of Frances Havergal's hymn says, "Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold." In 1878, four years after writing the hymn, Miss Havergal wrote a friend, “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 to the Church Missionary House, including a jewel cabinet that is really fit for a countess, where all will be accepted and disposed of for me...Nearly fifty articles are being packed up. I don't think I ever packed a box with such pleasure.”
As we experience God and grow in our faith, we must realize that everything we have already belongs to God and that we are blessed in so many ways. Sometimes we try to hold on to our most treasured things like time and money. When we realize we have more than enough and that we have been blessed beyond measure, we can choose to live not for ourselves, but “ever, only, all for Thee.”
Written By: Jerry Westenkuehler