It is the height (or should we say, the depth!) of foolishness to think that we can handle all the challenges of life on our own. We are dependent on help from many people and sources in all kinds of situations. In fact, there is nothing in our life in which we can function independent of assistance from others. It begins even before our birth, as we need a mother who will seek pre-natal care to insure that all goes well during her pregnancy while we are growing in her womb. We need her to feed and change us as a newborn in those early months after our birth. And that dependency continues all the way, even into our teen and adult years, as both mother and father guide, protect, and provide for us.
And how about all that we needed from teachers during our school years. Add to that all the things we have needed from medical professionals as problems have arisen with our health. And we dare not forget our dependence on friends whose wise counsel has so many times given us guidance in how best to respond to troubling situations in relationships. And here’s one more. How many of us could fix problems with our cars, our home air conditioning and plumbing, our retirement investments, and our job searches without help?
But most important is the spiritual help on which we have depended for instruction and guidance throughout our entire lives? Not only did we need Him to come to us in saving, electing grace. How many preachers, Sunday School teachers, and youth leaders helped us become and grow as Christians? How many conferences, books, lectures, ministry opportunities, and mission trips got us to where we are with the Lord today! In how many ways have we been dependent on others to help us learn how to interpret the Bible, how to maintain a daily personal Bible study regimen, how to discern truth from error in what we hear and read, how to effectively share our faith, how to avoid the quicksand of liberal theology, how to pursue holiness and resist the sexual temptations all around (and within) us, and how to present acceptable worship to God?
Even more important are the ways we have needed the Lord to teach us, to lead us, to use us, to forgive us, to be with us in the hard and lonely times, in the fire and through the water, even in the valley of the shadow of death, and to deliver us not only from evil, but also from the evil one! He has promised never to leave us or forsake us, and to be with us to the end of the age. And those are not just general assurances of His presence and companionship, though they are certainly that. But these are His promises to go with us through the wilderness of this life, with all its snares and dangers, and to guide us all the way home to the promised land of heaven.
These are just some of the ways we benefit from a conscious dependence on the Lord. This is what we sing about in the hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour,” written in 1872 by Annie Sherwood Hawks (1835-1918). Born in Hoosick, upstate New York, just west of Bennington, Vermont and slightly north of the Berkshire Mountains, by the age of fourteen, she was writing poems that were being published in a variety of newspapers. In 1859, she married Charles Hawks and focused on raising their three children.
After she and her husband moved to Brooklyn, their pastor at Hanson Place Baptist Church was Dr. Robert Lowry, a prominent writer of gospel songs. Lowry encouraged her gift of poetry. He promised to write the music for her poems and encouraged her to continue writing prose. She often wrote hymns during and related to everyday things in her life as a housewife and mother. Concerning the hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour,” she wrote, “One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks during a bright June morning. 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 were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me — ‘I Need Thee Every Hour’ . . . . Seating myself by the open windows, I caught up my pencil and committed the words to paper.”
She took the poem to Lowry, who added the refrain and music to the poem. Mrs. Hawks continued by explaining “For myself, the hymn, at its writing, was prophetic rather than expressive of my own experiences, for it was wafted out to the world on the wings of love and joy, instead of under the stress of great personal sorrow, with which it has often been associated.” In 1872, Ira Sankey used this hymn at the National Baptist Sunday School Association Convention. The following year the song appeared in the “Royal Diadem for the Sunday School,” which was compiled by Lowry and William Doane.
The phrase “I Need Thee” is repeated 20 times throughout the hymn. Following the death of her husband, Hawks reflected on the power of her song. “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.” Hawks wrote over 400 hymn texts, but “I Need Thee Every Hour” is the only one sung today. Her hymns were published in a variety of popular Sunday School hymnbooks of the day.
She died on January 3, 1918, in Bennington, Vermont.
The hymn resonates with Christians across time and place because it speaks to a deeply rooted need to feel the presence of God in times of distress. It echoes the cries of many of the Psalms, as in Psalm 22:19, “But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O You my help, come quickly to my aid!” The first printing of the song carried the Scripture reference of John 15:5, which says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” In the larger context, Jesus stressed the importance of relying on Him, seeking His love, and keeping His commandments. By doing these things, His followers would bear fruit, see their prayers answered, and experience His joy.
As you sing the hymn, imagine yourself peeking into her kitchen on a weekday morning. There she is, having sent her three children off to school, sitting at the breakfast table by an open window, with the fresh early summer air drifting in, new green leaves on the trees, flowers opening up in the garden beside newly-planted vegetables, the sound of songbirds filling the air. She has finished washing the dishes and folding the clothes she has brought in from the clothesline. She is engaged in her quiet morning devotional time with the Lord, her Bible and journal open before her. You are watching her write and sing a new hymn composition about her love for the Lord, how she needs Him every day. She is writing it as if the Lord is right there with her, as He is! The words are addressed to Him. Here it is.
In the refrain, we reach out to the Lord in the midst of the ordinariness of our lives, recognizing the fact that we do truly need Him every hour. And it’s not just that we need Him to be near us, which we do, but more specifically that we need Him to bless us and everything we do. As we read in Psalm 127, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” God’s blessing will not only enable to do what we could not have done on our own. It also makes what we do of spiritual benefit to others, to the church, and to the kingdom of God.
I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Ev’ry hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
In stanza 1, we tell the Lord that we need Him because only His voice can bring peace. We can be sure that He will grant this request, because He is a gracious Lord (Psalm 85:6) who speaks to us in a tender voice (John 5:25). He promises a peace that is unlike that which the world gives (John 14:27), a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:4-7).
I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford. (Refrain)
In stanza 2, we tell the Lord that we need Him in times of temptation. When tempted, if we will remind ourselves that the Lord is right there (as He promised to be in Hebrews 13:5-6), not only observing our thoughts and actions, but also strengthening us, we will find renewed strength to say “no” to that temptation. In addition, His Word assures us that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what He has equipped us to bear (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). And He promised us that if we will draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).
I need Thee ev’ry hour;
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r
When Thou art nigh. (Refrain)
In stanza 3, we tell the Lord that we need Him to abide with us in both joy and pain. We know that, like Paul, we will experience both of those in this life (Philippians 4:11-12). But whatever happens, we should want the Lord to abide with us, which He will do, as He promised in the Gospel passage about the relationship between the vine and the branches (John 15:4-5). If He were not to do this, our entire lives would have been lived in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14).
I need Thee ev’ry hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain. (Refrain)
In stanza 4, we tell the Lord that we need Him to help us know and do His will. He has not hidden that will from us, but has made it clear in the pages of Scripture (John 7:17 and 17:8). And what better teacher of the will of God could we hope for than the Son Himself? Part of that revelation includes many great and precious promises to us (2 Peter1:3-4). And when we strive to do His will, He will bring to completion at the day of Christ all that He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6).
I need Thee ev’ry hour;
Teach me Thy will;
Thy promises so rich
In me fulfill. (Refrain)
In stanza 5, we tell the Lord that we need Him in order that we might fully belong to Him. In this final stanza, Mrs. Hawks concludes with a summary request, that is at the same time something of a combined doxology and benediction. At her leading, we address the Lord in that favorite phrase of Isaiah found 31 times in his book, the “H oly One.” And it is the title given to Jesus by the demon in Mark 1:24. The greatest longing of our heart is that we want to be made His, which we can be sure we are by adoption.
I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son. (Refrain)
The music for this text, and also the refrain for it, were written by Mrs. Hawks’ pastor, Robert Lowry (1826-1899). He was the one who so enthusiastically encouraged her writing endeavors soon after she and her husband had moved to Brooklyn and became part of the local Baptist church where he served. Born in Philadelphia, his fondness for music was exhibited in his earliest years. As a child he amused himself with the various musical instruments that came into his hands. At the age of seventeen he joined the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia, and soon became an active worker in the Sunday School as teacher and chorister.
At the age of twenty-two he felt himself called to the work of gospel ministry, and entered upon a course of study at the University of Lewisburg, PA. At the age of twenty-eight he graduated with the highest honors of his class. In the same year of his graduation, he entered upon the work of the ministry. He served as pastor at West Chester, PA, 1851-1858; in New York City, 1859-1861; in Brooklyn, 1861-1869; and in Lewisburg, PA., 1869-1875. While pastor at Lewisburg, he was also professor of belles lettres (fine writing) in the University, and was awarded the honorary degree of D. D. in 1875. He then went to Plainfield, NJ, where he became pastor of Park Avenue Church. In each of these fields his work was crowned with marked success.
Dr. Lowry was considered a man of rare administrative ability, a most excellent preacher, a thorough Bible student, and whether in the pulpit or upon the platform, always a brilliant and interesting speaker. He was known to be of a genial and pleasing disposition, and a high sense of humor was one of his most striking characteristics. Very few men had greater ability in painting pictures from the imagination. He could thrill an audience with his vivid descriptions, inspiring others with the same thoughts that inspired him.
His melodies are sung in every civilized land, and many of his hymns have been translated into foreign tongues. While preaching the gospel, in which he found great joy, was his life-work, music and hymnology were favorite studies, but were always a side issue, a recreation. In the year 1880, he took a rest of four years, visiting Europe. In 1885 he felt that he needed more rest, and resigned his pastorate at Plainfield, and visited in the South and West, also spending some time in Mexico. He returned, much improved in health, and again took up his work in Plainfield.
On the death of William Bradbury, of Messrs. Biglow & Main, successors to Mr. Bradbury in the publishing business, selected Dr. Lowry for editor of their Sunday-school book, “Bright Jewels,” which was a great success. Subsequently William Doane was associated with him in the issue of the Sunday-school song book, “Pure Gold,” the sales of which exceeded a million copies. That was followed by numerous other volumes. The good quality of their books did much to stimulate the cause of sacred song in America.
When he saw that the obligations of musical editorship were laid upon him, he began the study of music in earnest, and sought the best musical text-books and works on the highest forms of musical composition. He possessed one of the finest musical libraries in the country at the time. It abounded in works on the philosophy and science of musical sounds. He also had some musical works in his possession that were over one hundred and fifty years old.
A reporter once asked him what was his method of composition. “Do you write the words to fit the music, or the music to fit the words?” His reply was, “I have no method. Sometimes the music comes and the words follow, fitted insensibly to the melody. I watch my moods, and when anything good strikes me, whether words or music, and no matter where I am, at home or on the street, I jot it down. Often the margin of a newspaper or the back of an envelope serves as a notebook. My brain is a sort of spinning machine, I think, for there is music running through it all the time. I do not pick out my music on the keys of an instrument. The tunes of nearly all the hymns I have written have been completed on paper before I tried them on the organ. Frequently the words of the hymn and the music have been written at the same time.”
In addition to “I Need Thee Every Hour,” Here are some of his most popular and sweetest gospel melodies: “How Can I Keep from Singing?,” “All the Way My Savior Leads Me,” “Savior, Thy Dying Love,” and “We’re Marching to Zion.” “Shall We Gather at the River?” is perhaps, without question, the most widely popular of all his songs. Of this Lowry said: “It is brass band music, has a march movement, and for that reason has become popular, though for myself I do not think much of it.” Yet he tells us how, on several occasions, he had been deeply moved by the singing of that hymn. “Going from Harrisburg to Lewisburg once, I got into a car filled with half-drunken lumbermen. Suddenly one of them struck up, ‘Shall We Gather at the River?’ and they sang it over and over again, repeating the chorus in a wild, boisterous way. I did not think so much of the music then as I listened to those singers, but I did think that perhaps the spirit of the hymn, the words so flippantly uttered, might somehow survive and be carried forward into the lives of those careless men, and ultimately lift them upward to the realization of the hope expressed in my hymn.”
He also reported, “A different appreciation of it was evinced during the Robert Raikes’ (Sunday School) Centennial. I was in London, and had gone to meeting in the Old Bailey to see some of the most famous Sunday School workers in the world. They were present from Europe, Asia, and America. I sat in a rear seat alone. After there had been a number of addresses delivered in various languages, I was preparing to leave, when the chairman of the meeting announced that the author of “Shall We Gather at the River?” was present, and I was requested by name to come forward. Men applauded and women waved their handkerchiefs as I went to the platform. It was a tribute to the hymn; but I felt, when it was over, that, after all, I had perhaps done some little good in the world, and I felt more than ever content to die when God called.” On Children’s Day in Brooklyn, in 1865, this song was sung by over forty thousand voices.
While Dr. Lowry said, “I would rather preach a gospel sermon to an appreciative, receptive congregation than write a hymn,” yet in spite of his preferences, his hymns have gone on and on, translated into many languages, preaching and comforting thousands upon thousands of souls, furnishing them expression for their deepest feelings of praise and gratitude to God for His goodness to the children of men. What he had thought in his inmost soul has become a part of the emotions of the whole Christian world. We are all his debtors.
To conclude this study of “I Need Thee Every Hour,” we ought to remember Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” What an invitation! Not “Come to a religion, or come to a doctrine, or come to an idea, or come to a meeting,” but “Come to Me!” The more we grow in our Christian life, the more we will realize that not only do we need Him, but that we will want Him more than anything else. And how marvelous that we will discover, as John Piper has written, that “God is the gospel;” He has given us Himself.
Here is a link to Annie Sherwood Hawks’ simple, yet deeply moving hymn, sung with the fervency of a soul that knows it needs Jesus every hour.