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I Need Thee Every Hour
I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like thine can peace afford.
I need thee, oh I need thee; every hour I need thee!
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.
I need thee every hour, stay thou nearby;
temptations lose their power when thou art nigh.
I need thee every hour in joy or pain;
come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
I need thee ever hour, teach me thy will,
and thy rich promises in me fulfill.
I need thee, Oh I need thee;
every hour I need thee!
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to thee.
This hymn was written by Annie S. Hawks more than a century ago. Most believe it was an expression of her own experiences. Certainly, it is timeless and has touched many souls before me. Some say it had been translated into more foreign languages than any other hymn at the time of her death.
In my youth it was just a hymn sung at church. As I have lived life and aged, this hymn has taken on stronger meaning and provided comfort and counsel. Perhaps you have a similar bond with its message.
As life is lived, we see and experience many stages. In our younger days, we are full of self and independence. Life is a hill to climb or a valley to descend into without fear. Sure, we have our challenges, but they are overcome and passed. We turn closer to God mostly when discouraged or defeated. But as we age, we gain perspective. Our relationship with our Lord is not measured in months or years….it is eternal. God is nearby and just a prayer away. We serve Him and can call on Him for help anytime. It is a relationship that is better experienced than told.
“I need thee every hour” – God is never far away, and we need him near. Often, we are distracted from His presence, but He is always close and cares. We need to think of His presence more often.
“Most gracious Lord” – He loves us and hears our prayers! And He cares and answers our prayers! We can overcome all trials through His loving care. His grace is with us for a lifetime.
“Stay thou nearby” – We are stronger and at peace when He is close in our heart and mind. Too often we let our feeling of confidence in self take us away from our need of Him. As the hymn says: we need Him “in joy or pain.” We readily turn to Him in pain, but we also must celebrate His love and presence when we find joy.
“Come quickly and abide” – Or life is vain. The human in us tends to look at the present life as the sum of our existence, but we all know that eternity is forever. We live today to serve Him, and we should look forward to being with our Lord upon our passing from earthly life.
“Thy rich promises in me fulfill” – Our task in life is to love and obey our Creator. We must try our best, and He will make up for the rest.
“O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee” – If you are in the waning years of life as is this author, you most likely feel similar emotions. But if you are young with most of life ahead, listen to the wisdom of these lyrics. We all need Him.
- Danny Pickett
