This hymn I found whilst reading hymnals online, and it comes to us from British layman William Dunn Longstaff (1822-1894). Longstaff befriended a number of well-known evangelists such as William Booth (1829-1912), founder of the Salvation Army. Some of Longstaff’s hymns were published in the official magazine of the Salvation Army magazine, The War Cry, during the 1880s. In 1873 the famous American preacher Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) and his chief musician Ira D. Sankey (1840-1908) arrived in England and were desperately seeking funds, and Longstaff came to their rescue, helping to establish a donor base that allowed Moody to hold revivals in London and Scotland. Methodist hymnologist Robert Guy McCutchan notes that Longstaff was inspired by the words of Griffith John, a missionary to China, who cited I Peter 1:16, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (KJV), a reference to Leviticus 11:44¹. I do not have a song for this hymn to share, but you will be blessed to turn the words into your prayer for today.

Take time to be holy,
Speak oft’ with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always,
And feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children
Help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing
His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy
The world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret
With Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus,
Like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct
His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy,
Let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him,
Whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow,
Still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus,
Still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy,
Be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive
Beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit
To fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted
For service above.

¹umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-take-time-to-be-holy