Frances Havergal: Ever, Only, All for Thee

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

These lines have been sung and echoed in many a heart since they were written over 100 years ago.  Today we will look at the life of the author – a name well known in the world of hymn writers: Frances Ridley Havergal.

Frances was the sixth child of William and Jane Havergal.  The Havergal family lived in Worcestershire, England. Because William was the rector (or pastor) of Astley Church, the family lived in rectory, overlooking beautiful grounds with lush trees and gardens. There Frances grew up with her three sisters and two brothers, advancing quickly in all her studies, including music and poetry.  Hers was a thoroughly Christian home, where the name of Jesus was honored and God’s Word was instilled into the hearts of the Havergal children.  However, apparently Frances did not personally trust in Christ for salvation during her growing up years.  She was a happy child, but lacked the true joy of salvation.

When Frances was only eleven, her mother passed away, and the little girl shed bitter and mournful tears. “I did not at all expect her departure,” she wrote in later years, “and shut my ears in a very hardened way to those who tried to prepare me for it; so when it came I was not ready, and there was nothing but bitterness in it to me. I did not, would not, see God’s hand in it, and the stroke left me worse than it found me.”

Young Frances experienced the truth that we all have felt at one time or another – that trials will wreck us rather than strengthen us if our trust is not in the Lord. For three years Frances struggled spiritually.  She knew the sinfulness of her soul and the need for forgiveness.  But would Jesus grant her forgiveness?  On and on she battled doubts and fears.  At last, one day a kind friend named Caroline Cooke asked her, “Why cannot you trust yourself to your Savior at once?  Supposing that now, at this moment, Christ were to come in the clouds of heaven, . . . Could you not commit your soul to Him, to your Saviour, Jesus?”

Suddenly, Frances realized what her friend was saying.  She said, “I could, surely,” and on her knees by her bed that day, she found the Savior whom she came to love. “Then and there,” she wrote of her conversion, “I committed my soul to the Saviour. . . I did trust in the Lord Jesus.”

From then on, Frances’ life took a different turn.  Her talent for music and poetry turned into a stream of praise to her Master and King – two names of Jesus that she especially cherished and brought often into her writings.  She wrote a series of devotional books titled the “Royal Books,” which include titles such as “My King,” “The Royal Invitation,” and “Royal Commandments.”  She had a special desire to see lost souls come to Christ for salvation, and to see Christians live whole-heartedly for Him.

Her hymn, “Take My Life, and Let it Be” is a series of lines which encourages us to give every area of our life to Jesus.  One night as Frances lay awake, these little “couplets” formed in her heart and “chimed one after another.”  She set it to a tune called “Patmos,” written by her father, William Havergal.  This tune pairs beautifully with her little “Consecration Hymn,” as Frances called it. 

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.

Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King.

Take my lips, and let them be
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.

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.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.

Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, ALL for Thee.

Another well-beloved hymn is “Like a River Glorious.”  Frances dictated this hymn from her bed, when she suffered from an illness so severe she could not write. Other famous hymns by Frances are “Golden Harps Are Sounding,” “Who is On the Lord’s Side?”, “I Gave My Life for Thee,” and “I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus.”

Frances did not, however, just sit in her study and write all the day long.  In fact, many of her poems came in a moment when she was doing something entirely different – for example, “Golden Harps Are Sounding” was scribbled on the back of an envelope as she leaned on a wall outdoors.  Frances was active and loved to travel, even hiking and climbing in the snowy Swiss Alps!  She enjoyed conversations with many kinds of people, rich and poor – and was always eager to speak of Jesus to those who would listen.

Frances had a close relationship to her father all of his life, especially after the death of her mother.  William Havergal was also a writer of music, hymns, and prose works, and he was a faithful pastor devoted to the people in his church and the surrounding areas.  He would walk great lengths to visit the poor people in their villages, praying with them, reading the Bible to them, and explaining the Gospel to them.  Frances must surely have learned from her father to put the Lord’s work first in her life, and to care for the needs of others.

A special time for the Havergal family was when her father remarried.  Frances very happily approved of the match, for the lady of his choice was none other than Miss Caroline Cooke – the very one who had prompted Frances to fully place her trust in the Lord!  She was a loving stepmother and Frances called her “Mother” for the rest of her life.

Although Frances herself never married, she loved dearly her nieces and nephews and strove to be a good, Godly example to them.  She wrote two little books for children called “Morning Bells” and “Little Pillows”, giving children a verse every day to think about when they wake up or before they go to bed.

Frances died of an illness at 43 years old.  Rather than sorrowing at her life being cut short, she rejoiced at the prospect of “seeing the King in His beauty.”  Though short, her life was fruitful, and we reap the benefits that flow from a life truly consecrated to the Master’s use.

Bibliography
Memorials of Frances Ridley Havergal by Maria Havergal