Take My Life, That I May Be (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 685)
1 Take my life, that I may be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days;
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of they love;
take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.
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.
4 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.
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.
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.
Text: Frances R. Havergal; Music: William H. Havergal; Public Domain
Devotion
I am a bossy eldest daughter and I need constant reminders that I am not in charge of everything. My marriage is an equal partnership filled with compromise. My children are adults and their decisions are their own. I am not in charge of my own work schedule. I can’t control the weather no matter how many times I look at the app. The list goes on and on. But the control issue I find most difficult is to release my own ideas and let God take over. “Jesus take the wheel” rarely comes out of my mouth, but, ultimately, I know God is in control. Of everything. This hymn is especially poignant to me as each verse talks about turning parts of my body, my mind, and my general life over to God. It’s a repetitive reminder that I need to willingly give up control and give it to God.
“Take my will and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine…
Take myself and I will be, ever, only all for thee.”
Prayer
Thank you, God, for being in control. Remind me every day that you are God, I am not—and that is a good thing! I give my life to you God. Take my life that I may be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Amen.