Take, Lord, Receive
This week I was listening to BibleProject podcast, and Dr. Tim Mackie shared a prayer that he’s been reading every day. Since then, I have too. Read these words by Saint Ignatius, written (originally in Latin) in the 16th century.
“Take, Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my whole will, all that I have and all that I possess. You gave it all to me, Lord; I give it all back to you. Do with it as you will, according to your good pleasure. Give me your love and your grace; for with this I have all that I need.”
This prayer resonated with me so deeply when I heard it. I was struck by the radical submission, and the reminder that God’s love and grace is all that I need.
Why it matters
I don’t believe Christians need to pray specific prayers all the time. I believe we are free to go before the Lord with all of our worries, hopes, and joys. I do believe, though, that there is power in repetition and memory. Sometimes we need to hear, see, or read something many times before we start to understand it. It’s also important to submit to the Lord even when we don’t feel like it. This prayer is an excellent way to remind ourselves of the real purpose of this life, to consciously dedicate our day to the Lord, and to recognize that every good thing we have is from him. The morning sunshine, the birdsong, and the evening rain are a beautiful gift from above.
You gave it all to me, I give it all back to you.
This line has been repeating in my mind nonstop for a week. In Eden, God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed, including intimate communion with him. They had a purpose: to be fruitful and multiply, and to steward the earth. Not only did God give them every resource they could ever dream of, he also gave them the power to reject that gift. They had the choice to use the gifts from the Lord to perpetuate the blessing by doing as he instructed, or to take of the fruit of the tree and reject his authority.
The resources in our lives have been given to us by God. I think of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, where Jesus paints a picture of a master who gives gold to each of his three servants as he’s leaving town. Two of them invest the gold and when the master comes back, they receive a commendation for stewarding the money well. The third servant, however, was afraid of his master, and buried his portion until his master returned. This wasn’t received well, and that servant was punished.
The Lord has entrusted us with resources. We can choose to multiply them, or hide them away for fear of losing them.
It’s crucial to remember that “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” He gives us what we need, when we need, according to his purposes. He will never require us to do something that we don’t have the resources for. He provides a way, and we will sometimes get to see the bounty, if we trust him to be faithful.
I have added a phone and desktop wallpaper of this prayer to my digital downloads section, so you can have it handy throughout your week.
Have you heard this prayer before? How did it impact you when you heard it?
