More Love to Thee, O Christ
Elizabeth P. Prentiss, 1818-1878
“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Phil.1:9-11)
Elizabeth Payson was born in Portland, Maine, on October 26, 1818. Her father, Edward Payson, was a well-known and greatly revered pastor in their home town. Under her father’s teaching, Elizabeth gave her life to the Lord at a young age.
In 1845, Elizabeth, a school teacher at the time, married a well-known Presbyterian minister, George Lewis Prentiss, and the couple moved to New York. As George continued in ministry and teaching at Union Theological Seminary, Elizabeth took up writing and her books, Stepping Heavenward and The Flower of the Family, became best-sellers. Elizabeth was often described by her many friends as "a very bright-eyed little woman with a keen sense of humor, who cared more to shine in her own happy household than in a wide circle of society." Though Elizabeth was known as a joyful individual, her health was poor and her body frail. Throughout her life she was nearly an invalid and suffered from chronic insomnia.
"More Love to Thee” was written by Mrs. Prentiss during great sorrow, following the loss of two of her children in a short period of time. In this season of inconsolable sadness, she recorded in her diary, "empty hands, a worn-out, exhuasted body, and unutterable longings to flee from a world that has so many sharp experiences." During this time Elizabeth began meditating upon the story of Jacob and the special ways God had faithfully met him in his moments of great sorrow and need. She began to pray that God would meet her in a similiar way. While meditiaing and praying one evening, the words to this hymn of devotion to Christ amid great sorrow were born as she glimpsed the sufficiency of Christ for all of life.
As we consider this glorious hymn, pray earnestly that God would peel back the veil that you may see the beauty and sufficiency of Jesus, thus leading us to love him more. Then we will agree in wholeness of heart with Elizabeth Prentiss when she said, "To love Christ more is the deepest need, the constant cry of my soul...out in the woods, and on my bed, and out driving, when I am happy and busy, and when I am sad and idle, the whisper keeps going up for more love, more love, more love!"
More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!
Hear Thou this prayer I make on bended knee.
This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ to Thee;
More love to Thee, More love to Thee!
Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest.
Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best.
This all my prayer shall be: More love , O Christ to Thee;
More love to Thee, More love to Thee!
Then shall my latest breath whisper Thy praise.
This be the parting cry my heart shall raise;
This still my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ to Thee;
More love to Thee, More love to Thee!
Devotional thought: The believer who is quiet even for a moment feels the pullings of the flesh and the Spirit. And as he brings his heart before the Lord for examination, he sees the in-givings to the flesh, is greatly sorrowed over them, repents, and cries out as David, saying, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me"(Ps.51:10). This is the deep, unending cry of every soul that has experienced conversion. That they would love Christ fully, that they would love Christ faithfully, that they would love Christ more intensely. And that the call of the world, the flesh, and the temptations of the evil one would have no appeal to them because of a heart whose love is intensely focused on the Savior. Whatever life should bring, our desire is to be that of the Lord Jesus Christ's, who said in John 8:29, "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." Take a few moments to be quiet. Is there a heart that is overflowing with love for the Lord? If so, great! Ask for grace to be steadfast and increasing in your love for Him. Or is there a dullness in your affections for Him? If so, the Lord calls us to repent and return to Him, and to do the things that we did when we first fell in love with Jesus (Rev.2:4).
O Lord, from the depths of our souls, we cry out to you. We want the totality of our lives to be a greater and deeper expression of love to you. Not that we would be made acceptable to You, but that we would in some way express the depth of our gratitude for the indescribable gift of love You gave to us in giving Yourself. Open our eyes, Jesus; cause us to apprehend the reality of Your sufficiency in all things that we would not be moved in our single-minded purity of love and devotion to You. In Jesus name, Amen.
