“I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR” ~ there’s an old hymn written in 1872
by Annie S. Hawks and Robert Lowry that puts words to the cry of our heart in
these tumultuous days of 2016. Take a
listen to the words that were penned so long ago and see if they are not even
more pertinent for today. “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; Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.” Thinking about this admission of our
need for God, I could not come up with even one part of my life that these
words would not apply to. Would not our
families, our churches, and every thread that makes up the fabric of our nation
and world benefit by a prayer like this put to song with our voices rising in
unison? That is, if we really meant it?
Thank God for beautiful moments in the midst of these trying
times. How we need love to shine
brightly in our dark world, and how we love that it was God who ordained
marriage between a man and a woman. We
love that He brings soul-mates together! It was just that kind of celebration we were
so privileged to be a part of last month on the 18th of June when my
husband performed the marriage ceremony of our grandson, Dylan, and his bride, Samantha. They stood hand in hand and listened to the
Words of God about becoming one …
and they spoke their vows with deep resolve, promising to love each other
through all of life – with honor and respect.
And so on a God-blessed, sun-kissed afternoon beneath summer skies … and
in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, Dylan and Samantha said “yes” to
becoming husband and wife and beginning their life together! Will this prayer, “I need Thee every hour”
become their prayer? This gramma prays it will ~ every day. I pray it will echo from the depths of their
hearts not only daily, but as many times a day as needed for leaning on Christ
as the center of their marriage, and discovering Who it is that will keep them
together and keep their love faithful and strong and passionate. Is this not the best marriage prayer ever –
that we would together express our need of God for a love relationship that
reflects the love of Christ to our world around us?! Husbands and wives, I encourage and challenge
you to begin praying this prayer!
In this election season, it is difficult to escape coverage of
every move every candidate and presidential nominee makes. If we wish, we can be tuned in every hour on
the hour! I would definitely advise us
to be informed and to seek out accuracy as we carefully make our choices for
the general election vote coming up in November. That’s a lot of sifting and searching, I
know; but we dare not run the risk of being jaded or deceived. We need truth to prevail … and we need GOD to
prevail in this election in America! I
believe this will happen ONLY if God’s people will rise up with fervor and pray
as they’ve never prayed before: “I NEED
THEE EVERY HOUR, MOST GRACIOUS LORD!”
And we HAVE to mean it when we confess our need of the Lord God
Almighty! You see, no matter who we choose, they are only a mere man
or woman. Yes, if the one who takes on
the presidential role is a born-again Christian and leans on God for wisdom to
lead this great nation of ours so that it can remain great, that individual
will be empowered from Above, there is no doubt. But more importantly, we need to realize that
our nation, our lives, our future, and these times are in God’s hands. He is the One who reigns on high, over all, above
all, and by whose command -rulers rise and rulers fall. He is the only One who never changes … God remains the same: yesterday, today, and forever! The cry of our heart must be none other than
this prayer: “We need You every hour,
most gracious Lord!” For America to
stand strong in the face of present day evils and destruction … we must run to
and rely on our God as our source for all that this nation needs right
now. There is no other option if America
is to survive. And thrive? Only if we as a nation return to the God of
our forefathers, upon Whom this nation was founded!
And there is yet one more season that each of us should be even
MORE concerned about!! That season is a
forever one, and it lasts for Eternity.
The choice we make to personally receive or reject the Lord Jesus Christ
has eternal ramifications. Our “vote”
will get us the promise of a life in Heaven forever … or it will get us the
punishment of a life in Hell forever. Unending
joy and peace! Or unending suffering and
torture. What is so difficult about a choice like this? And yet throngs are making the choice to
reject God – blinded, deceived, lost.
Doesn’t that just break your heart?
It should! We need to be praying
for the precious people who have not yet said “yes” to Jesus – that they
will. And we need to be praying that God
will use us to help them grasp the truth of the Choice of all choices, because
it is e-v-e-r-l-a-s-t-i-n-g! That’s forever,
friends.
Today, in this season of 2016, we need to be praying that God
will empower us as His children to shift our thinking, to shift our praying, to
shift our living. We need to be praying,
“God’s purpose and plan … not ours.
God’s vision and mission … not ours.
God’s timing and fulfillment … not ours.
God’s victory and release … not ours.”
Let’s pray together: “We need Thee, oh, we need Thee … every hour
we need Thee!” May we NEVER stop
praying that way – every part of our lives can experience a supernatural shift
on this earth as it is in Heaven! Will
you pray with me?
REMEMBER . . .
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help us in our time of need."
~ Hebrews 4:16
Joyfully Serving Christ . . .
Pastor Doug & Debbie
