I Need Him. Don’t You?

I Need Him. Don’t You?
By Donna Downs on November 28, 2018

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
  – Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

As much as I enjoy all of the current worship music, the classic hymns hold a special place in my heart. I associate those hymns with positive memories from my childhood. I fondly remember those rich songs being sung when attending church with my grandparents or enjoying a Sunday night worship service at my home church. A friend recently shared with me a video featuring a beautiful a cappella arrangement of the classic hymn I Need Thee Every Hour. The version of the hymn was sung in nine-part harmony; however, what made this recording so amazing was that one man sang all nine parts. As I watched the video, I was struck by how much my life looks like the video. Let me explain.

How many roles do you fill over the course of a week? On any given week, I am a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a business owner, a consultant, a leader, a Sunday School teacher, a writer, a dog owner, and a neighbor. With each role comes a unique set of responsibilities and tasks. Some of those responsibilities are mundane and fairly routine, while others are challenging and can be a struggle to complete.

Regardless of the hat I wear at any given moment, my deepest desire is for Christ to be glorified in and through my life. For that to happen, I must acknowledge and embrace my complete dependence on him in every facet of life. As I do this, the mundane becomes sacred, and I can see the presence of Christ at work in and around me. My eyes and ears begin to recognize the movement of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the routine, common activities that fill my day.

It’s easy to shift into autopilot when facing the monotonous tasks in life. I rarely question my ability to handle these responsibilities and easily check them off my to-do list never stopping for divine insight or inspiration. On the other hand, more difficult tasks cause me to feel inadequate or fearful. And it’s in the challenging tasks that I tend to rely more on God’s leading. What I have experienced is when I rely on Christ as my source of life in both the mundane and challenging areas of life, a beautiful song emerges, and ultimately Christ is glorified. Despite my level of confidence, there is no area of my life where I can live independent of Christ.

After a bit of online research, I discovered that the writer of I Need Thee Every Hour was Annie Hawks. This tune was originally written and sung in 1872. When asked about the origin of the hymn, Annie shared, “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.” A wife and mother going about her daily routine – doing laundry, washing the dishes, cleaning the house – discovered the truth of our need for Christ. I pray we all come to recognize this need and embrace it completely.