I need thee every hour

A song written by Annie S. Hawks, a woman I have most recently learned authored this song, has been a favorite of mine from the moment I first herd it. I need thee, Oh, I need thee, every hour I need thee, oh bless me now my savior I come to thee. ( the chorus added later by Robert Wadsworth Lowry)

As I hummed this hymn while washing my face before bed, something struck me; there is an err in this. I often find myself declaring my need, my need for thee, and how little do I speak of my provision, my portion and prize. As a son it would be better to say, I have thee oh I have thee, you've blessed me now my savior, you abide in me. 

This idea struct me enough to write, to pen my thoughts on the matter. The plea in this song is not a bad one, it does not show a lack of faith or maturity, it is a very good plea, a God initiated longing, yet it felt incomplete.

I find myself constantly aware of my need for God, many people of many faiths share this same longing, but my claim as a believer is that not only do I need God, but that I have Him. I do not have him as an idol on a shelf or a statue to be dusted but as a friend and father, mother and brother. How tragic then is it to be far more aware of my need for God rather than knowing the reality that he is with me.

Its amazingly sobering to consider that I may have prophetic dreams, give people accurate "words" pray and intercede with passion and yet not walk with God in a way that says I have thee. Those things do not bring security of heart, for me they are fun. I enjoy prayer, I love encouraging others, sensing the love of God for another and speaking what I sense, see, hear, feel, smell or even taste (haven't experienced taste yet) is awesome, yet unfulfilling, because I find myself yet again aware of my great need. This is due to the fact that in the midst of these things and especially after I have not fully grasped that I have been grasped by and have grasped onto the lover of my soul. I long to walk with greater confident assurance in the one who walks with me, and whom I walk with.

I will know thee better day by day,
My eyes are open, then may I seen you
My ears are clear that I may hear you
Waking or sleeping
Happy or sad 
You are my constant and have been here all along.

How awe inspiring are the words of the author of the song, how gracious and simple. To be captured by a tune, a thought, a melody from heaven, accompanied by the presence of the King.

Annie Hawks wrote:

One day as a young wife and mo­ther of 37 years of age, I was bu­sy with my reg­u­lar house­hold tasks. Sud­den­ly, I be­came so filled with the sense of near­ness to the Mast­er that, won­der­ing how one could live with­out Him, ei­ther in joy or pain, these words, “I Need Thee Ev­e­ry Hour,” were ush­ered in­to my mind, the thought at once tak­ing full pos­sess­ion of me.

After writ­ing the lyr­ics, Hawks gave them to her pas­tor, Ro­bert Low­ry, who add­ed the tune and re­frain. The hymn was first pub­lished at the Na­tion­al Bap­tist Sun­day School Con­ven­tion in Cin­cin­na­ti, Ohio, in No­vem­ber 1872. Some years lat­er, af­ter the death of her hus­band, Hawks wrote:

I did not un­der­stand at first why this hymn had touched the great throb­bing heart of hu­man­i­ty. It was not un­til long af­ter, when the sha­dow fell over my way, the sha­dow of a great loss, that I un­der­stood some­thing of the com­fort­ing pow­er in the words which I had been per­mit­ted to give out to others in my hour of sweet se­ren­i­ty and peace.

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I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

Refrain

I need Thee, O 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.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessèd Son.

Refrain

http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/n/ineedteh.htm