Dependency

By David Shannon

We often sing the beautiful hymn, “I need thee every hour.” The song was written by Annie S. Hawks. She was a young mother of 37 who was overcome with a feeling of closeness one day while doing her daily household chores of motherhood. She knew she needed God at all times. Late in life she stated she didn’t know how true the words were until she had fallen under the shadow of great loss. She knew again, she needed Him every hour.
     I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come o 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 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. Do you really believe you need God every hour?
     Many wouldn’t dream of living without their technology. Many are convinced they need it every day and even every hour. Have you seen the look on someone’s face when the suggestion is offered to do without TV for a week or tell a cell phone or internet addict to do without these items for a week? Encourage a PDA junkie to withdraw for a week. The point isn’t that they are wrong; simply think of the dependency we have on these things. Now ask the question, “Are we dependent on God?” The other day I received the following e-mail:
     I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones? What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets? What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we used it to receive messages from the text? What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it? What if we gave it to kids as gifts? What if we used it as we traveled? What if we used it in case of an emergency?
     We need the Lord every moment. Do we know it? The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).

- David Shannon; via The Encourager, the weekly bulletin for the Calvert City church of Christ, Calvert City, KY.  Lance Cordle preaches for the congregation.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com