every. single. hour.

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

Every. Single. Hour.  We all need the Holy Spirit every single hour.  Every moment.  Every breath.  We need the Counselor's presence... changing, comforting, leading, showing us where to selflessly love and serve in His Name.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

When I visited Port au Prince, Haiti a year after the earthquake, it affected me so much. (Honestly I feel like I'm still processing it all in prayer.)  Such a trip changes you.  In fact, when I first returned home, I found myself becoming very angry with how much we callously waste and take for granted here in the states.  It bothered me so much that I had to surrender my anger back to God in order for Him to filter my words and thoughts on the matter.  It was then that He gave me this hymn.

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

Overall, the trip to Haiti showed me just how much need for hope there is throughout the ends of this earth.  Simply put, the world needs Jesus desperately.  As believers, I don't think many of us really grasp how vital it is that we devotedly embrace becoming Christ's hands and feet in every moment, every day.  We are to unreservedly hold close (even if only in prayer) the forgotten children suffering from malaria, or elephantiasis, or malnutrition, or blindness.  We are to use our own resources to feed and clothe the naked, the starving, the broken, the homeless.  We are to love the lonely... to give up selfishness and replace it with God's LIVING message of salvation.  Yes, every single hour provides us a new opportunity to love whomever Jesus puts before us.  He is always ready to use our willing heart for the good of His kingdom.  So prayerfully allow Him to transform you, believer!  It really doesn't matter if you walk into another country or not... it matters who He puts before you... it matters that you love.  The Holy Spirit will lead... so we must, MUST take up our cross and follow the call of the Teacher.

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

As you consider what I just shared above, please also think about this: Annie Sherwood Hawks was a simple housewife and mother in the 1800's.  She 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..."  Later in life (after her husband's death) she shared, "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." 

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

Ladies, we may only consider ourselves "simple"... the average Western woman living an average American life.   But to God we are so much more.  Both you and I live in a world desperate to know His peace.  So, do not ever forget that YOU have been put here for a great purpose to share His message of hope.  Even in our average moments, God can give us words that open doors and bless for generations to come.  So today, I encourage you to receive His call and remain open to His loving, leading voice.  We each need Him, wherever He leads...  We need Jesus - Every. Single. Hour.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

(Annie Sherwood Hawks)

Blessings!

~Victoria

© The Devoted Woman | Victoria Anderson