Today's Devotional

Brought to you by Dream Team member Bobbi Heffel

I Need Thee Every Hour

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

     Refrain:
     I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
     Every hour I need Thee;
     Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
     I come to Thee.

2.     I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

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

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

5.     I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Annie S. Hawks, 1872
ref. by Robert Lowry, 1872

Copyright: Public Domain

 

Main subject: Supplication

Scripture: Hebrews 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Republished from Timeless Truths Publications (timelesstruths.org), licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

The refrain of this song just keeps playing in my mind. I need Thee, oh, I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee; Oh bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. How true and sweet are these words. Right now I cannot think of one circumstance or life situation where these words don’t ring true. I need Thee, oh, I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee.

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.

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.” Via http://www.cyberhymnal.org

I had no idea where this song originated until I began jotting down this devotional. What an incredible Godly lady!  When she brought some songs to her pastor, Robert Lowery (also a songwriter) he recognized a talent in Annie and struck a bargain. Annie, “If you write the words, I’ll write the music.” Annie Sherwood Hawks is credited with writing 4oo hymns in her lifetime. Most songs were for Sunday school use. Her songs were published in Bright Jewels, Brightest and Best, Pure Gold, Royal Diadem, Temple Anthems, Tidal Wave, and other Sunday school song books.

In November 1872, the new hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour” was used at the National Baptist Sunday School Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, where it was sung by 3000 people. Ira Sankey used it two years later in London leading to its regular use in large Moody evangelistic campaigns. This made it popular in the US as well as Great Britain, and it was translated into many languages and sang throughout the world. It was even featured in the Chicago World’s Fair.

Sixteen years after writing “I Need Thee Every Hour” Annie’s husband died, and she finally understood why the hymn had touched so many people. In her loss she found comfort in this hymn she had penned so many years earlier.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the testimony of Annie Hawks. She is another wonderful example of how you can use us where we are to bring great honor and glory to yourself. Truly we need you every hour. Amen

A special thank you to Gary Chapman on A Hymn a Week posted to youtube. You started me on the wonderful journey of learning about Annie Hawks and her amazing story.

Sources:

http://bereanbibleheritage.org/hymns/i_need_thee.php   - by Pastor Clinton Macomber

http://bereanbibleheritage.org/extraordinary/hawks_annie.php -by Pastor Clinton Macomber

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/h/a/w/hawks_as.htm

http://www.widowschristianplace.com/2011/01/widows-story-annie-s-hawks.html

Biblegateway.com