Whose I Am

harpOne of my treasured books is one that was written and owned by Frances Ridley Havergal, author of Take My Life and Let it Be, Like a River Glorious, I Am Trusting Thee Lord Jesus, O Savior, Precious Savior, and so many others. The copy I have was given by Frances to her sister Maria. The inscription in the front of the book in Frances’ own hand says, “Maria F.G. Havergal, With the Love of her sister, Frances Ridley Havergal, May 28, 1869. “Thus Will I Bless Thee While I Live”. I think of Frances’ hand lying there writing that loving inscription to her sister, and how God used that same hand to bless so many millions over the course of more than a century. If you’ve never encountered her devotional writings, they are rich, rich, rich. C.H. Spurgeon gave them out at one of his pastors’ conferences once. I was looking at the book, Ministry of Song, tonight and here is one of her poems:

Jesus, Master, whose I am,
Purchased Thine alone to be,
By Thy blood, O spotless Lamb,
Shed so willingly for me;
Let my heart be all Thine own,
Let me live to Thee alone.

Other lords have long held sway;
Now, Thy name alone to bear,
Thy dear voice alone obey,
Is my daily, hourly prayer.
Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
Nothing else my joy can be.

Jesus, Master! I am Thine;
Keep me faithful, keep me near;
Let Thy presence in me shine
All my homeward way to cheer.
Jesus! at Thy feet I fall,
Oh, be Thou my All in all.

FRH

For more of the beautiful writings of Frances Ridley Havergal, please visit the All for Thee blog. My friend, Sherry Goodwin, posts these writings as a labor of love for the Lord. You will be greatly encouraged spiritually to visit there.

2 thoughts on “Whose I Am”

  1. Lisa K says:

    I am a book lover, collector and also sell books on the internet. My aging father recently had to give up his space in a lovely antique store and he offered me the books, etc. or anything I wanted. In a box of old postcards I found a fragile booklet by Havergal. The cover was missing, but luckily I found it in the box. It was beautifully illustrated and bound with a silky cord. Despite it’s condition I thought someone may really like it. To make a long story short it is now in England – in a parsonage. Havergal apparently is greatly admired – and I think how nice it was I was able to “rescue” this little piece of history.

  2. Sherry says:

    You are in very good company when you read anything by Frances Ridley Havergal. She had a King, the Lord Jesus Christ and He made her heart His throne! Frances was known as “the consecration poet” and when you read a poem like this one, you understand why. I thank God for preserving the gems and jewels she mined throughout her lifetime in the school of suffering and blessing as she followed fully the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ! Thank you for this beautiful post, Ingrid. God bless you.

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