Art Friday: Susan Wheeler

I Need Thee Every Hour

(By Annie Sharwood Hawks)

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 Saviour,
 I come to Thee.
I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;


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 in vain.

Refrain
I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;


And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;

O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Refrain

Annie Sharwood Hawks was born on the 28th May 1836 and died on January 3rd in 1981.

She married Charles H. Hawks in 1857. They lived in Brooklyn, New York, and attended the Hanson Place Baptist Church. When her husband died in 1888, she moved to Bennington, Vermont to live with her daughter and son-in-law. She wrote 400 hymns in her life, mostly for use in Sun­day schools.  Her poems first began appearing in newspapers when she was 14 years old.

“I love thee every hour” was written in 1872 and Hawks' pastor added the tune and refrain.

Annie Hawks 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.

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If you were wondering why I select old hymns each Sunday - it is becuase these are the ones I grew up with and we sang on Sunday evening around the piano - these are my favourites.  I much prefer the old hymns compared to the modern hymns I think the words are stronger and have more meaning.  In saying that, there are many modern hymns I do like.

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