I Need Thee Every Hour

I need thee every hour,

most gracious Lord;

no tender voice like thine

can peace afford.

Refrain:

I need thee, O I need thee;

every hour I need thee!

O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to thee.

I need thee every hour,

stay thou near by;

temptations lose their power

when thou art nigh. [Refrain]

I need thee every hour, 

in joy or pain;

come quickly, and abide,

or life is vain. [Refrain]

I need thee every hour;

teach me thy will,

and thy rich promises

in me fulfill. [Refrain]

By Annie Hawks, 1835-1918

Hymn Background

Hymn writer Annie Hawks wrote this about today's hymn:

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.