Saturday, August 2, 2008

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Take My Life

I love how some of the old hymns are being sung and recorded today by current Christian singers and worship leaders. One beautiful hymn of commitment and consecration that I have always loved is Take My Life And Let It Be.

"It was said of Frances R. Havergal that the beauty of a consecrated life was never more perfectly revealed than in her daily living. She has rightfully been called 'The Consecration Poet.'

" 'These little couplets that chimed in my heart one after another' were for Frances Havergal the result of an evening in 1874 passed in pursuing a deeper consecration of herself to God. 'Take my voice and let me sing always only for my King' was personally significant for Frances. She was naturally very musical and had been trained as a concert soloist with an unusually pleasant voice. Her musical talents could have brought her much worldly fame. However, she determined that her life's mission was to sing and work only for Jesus. The line 'take my silver and my gold' was also sincerely phrased. At one time Frances gathered together her many fine pieces of jewelry and other family heirlooms and shipped them to the church missionary house to be used for evangelizing the lost. Nearly fifty articles were sent with 'extreme delight.'

When she wrote the song, in the final verse she capitalized the word ALL.

Source:
Amazing Grace: 365 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel, 2002
The Complete Book of Hymns: Inspiring Stories about 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J. Petersen & Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale, 2006

Make this song your prayer as you listen to Chris Tomlin's rendition:




TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
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,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

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,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, ALL for Thee,
Ever, only, ALL for Thee.


WORDS: Frances R. Havergal, 1874
MUSIC: Several tunes are associated with this hymn. The two most commonly found in hymnals are written by Lowell Mason (1841) and William B. Bradbury (date unknown; he died in 1868)


Don't forget to go by Amy's for more songs for your Saturday!

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18 comments:

Colored Heart said...

wow, this is one of our favorite hymns, me and my husband. we love hymns. in fact, we intend to teach our children to sing them for worship. they are treasures need not be buried. praise God for remakes! thanks for sharing. TAKE MY LIFE, LORD, AND LET IT BE CONSECRATED FOR THINE USE ONLY!
thanks for visiting my site and for your kind comment. God bless! Keep singing for the Lord! Shalom!

bp said...

This is beautiful. I have not heard this version.

Xandra@Heart-of-Service said...

I have not heard this version, but I do love this hymn. I love this meme, because I am constantly reminded of hymns that I don't think of very often, but love very much!

Xandra

Lisa Cobler said...

I love the old hymns. It's one that I have heard for as long as I can remember and still sing.
Beautiful post.

A Stone Gatherer said...

We all to often sing the songs without realizing what we are asking or saying! It's so important to hear the words! This is a precious old hymn!

Mindy said...

This is one of my top 10 favorties among hymns and praise songs! Our Pastor uses this one frequently in our services and I just love it. In our own hands our lives mean nothing but in the hands of the Lord, they mean everything.

Lisa@BlessedwithGrace said...

Chris Tomlin is so touched by God. He can rework any great hymn and make it his own. I love this song.

Deborah said...

I love this song and Chris T...thank you for sharing. But I also browsed some of the other songs listed with it and I love "It is Well with My Soul" by Jars of Clay. I know it's not what you highlighted, but I'm so glad I found it.
Deborah

Joanne@ Blessed... said...

Linda,

Beautiful, just beautiful.

Blessings, Joanne

Molly said...

Oh that is awesome. I am really enjoying this meme because I am finding so many great new tunes to add to the iPod...for when I am bored cross eyed at the YMCA.

Thanks!

Laurie Ann said...

I, too, love the old hymns. And loved what you shared, too. God bless you!

Michele Williams said...

I love old hymns as well. I sing this often as I worship Him every day. Thank you for this beautiful reminder.

BellaMama said...

I am really uplifted when I sing the old hymns! I love to hear the stories behind them, too!!

Thank you, now I have another song to sing for tonight!!

Blessings,
Mrs. C.

Gone said...

What a wonderful hymn!!

Thanks for the visit and registering for the Birthday Party Give-Away...good luck!!!

~Blessings,
Jan

LAURIE said...

Wow. What a beautiful message. Thanks for sharing with us this TSMSS and I appreciate you stopping over and commenting on my page. Blessings, Laurie

Maisie said...

This is such a pretty version of the song. These are such serious lyrics. I give God my will, but sometimes I catch myself taking it back again. Oh, how I wish that I could just totally trust Him.

Anonymous said...

That is always a good song, the lyrics are so convicting. I hadn't heard it in awhile, so thanks for posting it. I really enjoyed listening to it.

Peggy said...

Thanks and bless you Linda...I so love this beautiful hymn of consecration and devotion completely!

You've selected an aMazing version
with Chris Tomlin...I truly appreciate learning the background
each week from you. Isn't it simply beautiful to see how meaningful the words are from the composer's heart and life?

Thank you for your visits and comments to my place! Blessings!