Take My Life That I May Be, ELW 685
Devotion
Refrain
Take my life, that I may 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. Refrain
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. Refrain
Take my voice and let me sing
always, only for my King;
take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee. Refrain
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. Refrain
Written in the late 1800's this hymn has spanned the test of time. In this day and age, songs that old are practically unheard of. The radio hits of today last for maybe a year or two before they're replaced by something new. So how is it that this little hymn with such a simple sweet tune has existed so long? It doesn’t have the pop culture innuendos of today and has no rhythmic syncopations or fancy instrumentations. There's practically nothing in the hymn to draw the ear or eye of the modern music enthusiast.
What it does have are lyrics which express a request for God to receive "my life, my hands, my voice, my wealth, my will, my love" as a total offering of self for God’s purposes. One reason I believe this hymn has existed so long is that the request being made expresses something all of God’s faithful long to do but struggle with: offering complete devotion to God in all areas of life. This hymn is both prayer and praise. It sings of the desire to sacrifice the self and simultaneously prays for God’s help in doing so. The human inclination calls us from such submissions of self. This hymn gives voice to and supports the desire to give God our all.
Prayer
Lord God, take my life, my every day; my breath and very being—I offer them to you as a living sacrifice. Help me in my weakest moments to sing my praise to you for all that I am—all that you have made me to be. Amen.