Take My Life and Let It Be

Theology & Meaning

Frances Ridley Havergal wrote this consecration hymn in 1874 as a systematic offering of every faculty, possession, and faculty to God. Each verse dedicates a different dimension of life — hands, feet, voice, lips, silver, intellect, will, heart, love, self — to the service of the King. The theology is comprehensive: no area of life is withheld from the lordship of Christ. This is living sacrifice theology expressed in extraordinarily precise and beautiful poetry.

Worship Leadership Tips

One of the great consecration hymns of the English tradition, available in multiple contemporary arrangements. Works in services focused on lordship, stewardship, commissioning, or as a response to a gospel call to surrender. Allow the congregation to sing each verse as a genuine act of offering, not merely as performance.

Arrangement Tips

Multiple excellent contemporary arrangements exist from Passion, Sovereign Grace, and others. The chorale arrangement suits traditional settings; acoustic contemporary arrangements suit modern contexts. Keep the tempo moderate and allow the systematic nature of the offering — verse by verse — to build in significance. A moment of quiet after the final verse honors its weight.

Scripture References

• Romans 12:1
• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
• Luke 9:23