This hymn was written by an English businessman named William Longstaff and published in a Newspaper in 1882. Later, the article was seen by a spiritually minded musician by the name of George Stebbins and set to music in 1890. Mr. Longstaff, though financially independent, whose father was a wealthy ship owner, realized that holiness takes something more valuable than money; it takes time.

The word holy comes from the same family of words as saint and sanctify. It means to be set apart and devoted to God. There are many things that can help us to be holy but they all demand time. Let us look at a few of the things Mr. Longstaff wrote about in his song.

“Speak oft with thy Lord.”

Prayer is a characteristic of those who are holy. Not only is prayer a wonderful blessing, it is a responsibility. Jesus taught His disciples that they should always pray (Luke 18:1), and Paul exhorted us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). But, we should pray regularly, not just because it is a responsibility, but because we love God and it is a good way to draw near to Him (Hebrew 4:16). Furthermore, it helps us with our holiness. Jesus once said, “watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matthew 2641). Surely, we should take advantage of the power of prayer. The more we pray, the more holy we will be, and the closer we will be to God. But, it takes time to “speak oft with the Lord.” Thus, it takes time to be holy.

“Feed on God’s Word.”

It is impossible to be holy apart from God’s Word. Devotion to God involves being devoted to His will, and that necessitates knowing what His will is. We must study the Word of God in order to be the kind of Christians that we should be. However, feeding on God’s Word should not be a burden to us, but rather a source joy in our lives. The Psalmist wrote, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth (Psalm 119:103). This should be the way we all feel toward God’s Word. However, once again, this takes time, but it is always time well spent.

“Make Friends of God’s Children.”

This is an important part of both the life of Christians and the well-being of the church. The Hebrews writer exhorted us to “let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1). Members of the body of Christ should be the best of friends, but friendship takes time to cultivate. The early church made time for this (Acts 2:44-46), and so should we.

“Help those who are weak.”

Christians who are struggling with their spirituality, especially those who are young in the faith, are in need of encouragement and help from more seasoned saints. We should always be looking to help one another in Christ. But, is this not a part of the work that God wants us to do, that is, to encourage one another and build each other up in the Lord? Since this is the will of God, it is a part of being holy.

There are other things we sing about in Mr. Longstaff’s song that involve time, but he was most certainly right—it takes time to be holy.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.