Frances Ridley Havergal Books: A Reading Guide and Where to Start
Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879) is best known for her hymn "Take My Life and Let It Be," but she also wrote a shelf of small, warm books: daily readings for adults, morning books for children, a book of comfort for the sick, and her own commentary on her consecration hymn. TheWay Library has eight of them, all free to read, plus the life of her written by her sister Maria. For her story, see who was Frances Ridley Havergal.
Most of her books are short. Several have thirty-one readings, one for each day of a month, so you can read one a day and finish in a month.
Where to start
Start with Kept for the Master's Use. It's her last book and her best known, and it takes "Take My Life" one line at a time.
After that, choose by what you want:
- Daily readings for yourself: The Royal Invitation for the morning, Royal Bounty for the evening.
- Readings with your children: Morning Bells or Morning Stars.
- Comfort in sickness or sorrow: Starlight Through the Shadows.
- Her life: her Letters, and her sister's Memorials.
Every quotation below is checked against the book it comes from. For many more, see our collection of Frances Ridley Havergal quotes.
Consecration
Kept for the Master's Use (1879)
Havergal noticed that many people sang "Take my life" and then wondered whether the gift would last. Her answer is that the Lord who takes also keeps. Each chapter takes one couplet of the hymn, with "take" changed to "keep": our life, moments, hands, feet, voice, lips, silver and gold, intellect, will, heart, love and self kept for Jesus. A closing chapter, "Christ for Us," turns from what we give Him to what He is for us, and a few of her last poems end the book. It's practical, searching and glad. She finished the proofs just before she died.
We do not want only to be kept from displeasing Him, but to be kept always pleasing Him.
Kept for the Master's Use, Our Moments kept for Jesus
Read Kept for the Master's Use.
Daily readings for a month
The Royal Invitation: Daily Thoughts on Coming to Christ (1878)
Thirty-one readings, each on one of the Bible's invitations: "Come, for all things are now ready," "Come unto me, and I will give you rest," "Come and see," and the last invitation in Revelation. She explains plainly what "coming" to Christ means, and she gently presses the reader to answer. It's a good book to give someone who isn't sure they're a Christian. Each day ends with more verses to look up. Read The Royal Invitation.
Royal Bounty: Evening Thoughts for the King's Guests (1877)
The evening companion. The title comes from Solomon giving the queen of Sheba "of his royal bounty," and each reading opens one of the King's gifts to His guests: justification, peace, joy, safe stepping, captive thoughts, help in wakeful hours, the bright side of growing older and His presence. The readings on sleepless nights and on growing older are especially loved.
When the wearisome nights come, it is hushing to know that they are appointed.
Royal Bounty, Wakeful Hours
For children
Morning Bells: Waking Thoughts for Little Ones
Havergal first wrote Little Pillows, a verse for each night for a child to fall asleep on. Morning Bells is its companion, a short talk for each morning of the month, because, as she put it, "we must not only rest in Jesus, but walk in Him." She writes to a child of eight or ten about home, lessons and play: following the boy Jesus, pleasing others, giving hands and feet to God, being Christ's soldier. Most readings end with a verse or a prayer. Read Morning Bells.
Morning Stars: Names of Christ for His Little Ones (1879)
A name of Christ for each day of the month: Saviour, Friend, Brother, Shepherd, Physician, Substitute, Rock, Light, the five names of Isaiah 9:6, and last of all, "Himself." Each reading explains the name simply and asks the child a direct question. Havergal corrected the first proofs a week before she died.
Jesus Christ gives us life, not for trying, not even for asking, but only just for believing on Him!
Morning Stars, Our Life
For the sick and the sorrowing
Starlight Through the Shadows (1882)
Her sister gathered this book after her death. It begins with eleven readings Havergal had finished of a planned daily book for invalids, gentle chapters drawn from her own long illnesses, on Jacob leading his flock softly, on Eli's "Let Him do what seemeth Him good," and on the silence of love. Then come her nine "Marching Orders," papers on Christ's commands about missions, and the outlines of Bible addresses she gave to young women.
What is hid in God's hand must be out of reach of Satan's.
Starlight Through the Shadows, Thy Hand
Read Starlight Through the Shadows.
Poems
Coming to the King
A very short gift booklet of a dozen poems about Christ as King. Be aware that it's an anthology, not all Havergal's own work. Several poems are signed by members of her family and a friend, and one is H. W. Baker's hymn "The King of Love my Shepherd is." Her hymn "O Saviour, precious Saviour" is here. Read Coming to the King.
Her life in her own words
Letters of Frances Ridley Havergal (1885)
Letters from 1852 to 1879, chiefly to family and close friends, published by her family. They show her faith growing, her joy in prayer and in full consecration, how her books and hymns were written, her travels in Switzerland and her work for missions. A long set of letters to a young correspondent shows how she counseled the young about coming to Christ. Read the Letters.
Memorials of Frances Ridley Havergal, by Maria V. G. Havergal (1880)
Not by Frances, but the best book about her. Her sister drew mostly on Frances's own autobiography, letters and journals, from her fearful childhood and conversion to the writing of "Take my life" and her last week in Wales. Our list of the best Christian biographies includes it. Read the Memorials.
A note on these editions
Several of these books were restored from scans of old printings and are still being proofread. Royal Bounty and The Royal Invitation have the most misread words and stray marks, and the Memorials has some too. The meaning is nearly always clear.
Why read Havergal today
She makes giving yourself to Christ sound like what it is: a happy thing, worked out in ordinary days. She's simple without being shallow, and she's always pointing past herself to the King. Begin with Kept for the Master's Use, then read a month of The Royal Invitation. All her books are on the Frances Ridley Havergal author page.