I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR

I Can Do Nothing Without Him

"Pray that this year thou mayst be holy,
humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ,
and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of his love.” (Spurgeon)

As I was praying this morning, I envisioned myself pressing into the the Father, grabbing hold of His heart and hanging on for dear life. These words hardly describe my “vision”, but at least partially capture my heart’s cry … I can do nothing without Him, I need Him every moment of every day. Perhaps a hymn that burned its image on my heart from a youth would better describe my prayer time today:

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 nearby;
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour,
In joy or in pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is in vain.

I need Thee every hour;
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour,
Most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son.

Not a moment passes when we are — when I am — not in need of the Holy One. He is our constant need, when life seems to be going well and when we’re facing obstacles which appear insurmountable. Spurgeon said, “So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray.” Failure to pray is akin to failure to recognize our poverty. Yes, I need Thee every hour! Yes, without Him we are — I am — helplessly impoverished!

It doesn’t take much time in the Word of God to recognize the emphasis put on prayer. From the very first “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:26) to the final “Amen” at the end of the book (Revelation 22:21), our Father beckons us to seek Him, petition Him and fellowship with Him in prayer.

This must be a year of prayerfulness. With the daily news bearing witness to the growing godlessness of this world, prayer becomes of paramount importance, if not for us personally, then for our children and grandchildren and those around the world facing untold persecution for their testimony of faith in Jesus Christ.

I must admit that there are times when I’m almost embarrassed to ask the Father on behalf of my own needs and desires. It feels selfish and a frivilous way to impose upon my relationship with Him especially when there are so many other needs. Yet, our Father wants us to bring our most personal needs and desires to Him just as much as He longs to hear us supplicate on behalf of others. There is no imposing prayer … He wants us to bare our hearts before Him.

Don’t be silent. Don’t neglect prayer. Don’t shrink from exposing your heart’s deepest desires to Him. He already knows them — He simply wants us to acknowledge that without Him, we are powerless to achieve or possess those things we desire.

Spurgeon sums up this morning’s meditation as thus:

“Pray that this year thou mayest be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of his love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master."

“Continue in prayer” (Colossians 4:2).