I Need Thee Every Hour is a hymn written in 1872 by Annie S. Hawks, a Brooklyn homemaker and Sunday school teacher, with a refrain and tune added by her pastor, Robert Lowry. It is a simple prayer of dependence: in joy or pain, in temptation and in learning God's will, the believer needs the Lord's presence every hour. It echoes Jesus' words in John 15:5, for without me ye can do nothing.
Annie Hawks was 37, busy with her household on a bright June morning in 1872, when she was struck by how close the Lord felt and how much she needed Him. The words came to her almost at once, and she gave them to her pastor at Hanson Place Baptist Church in Brooklyn, Robert Lowry, a composer who also wrote Shall We Gather at the River and Christ Arose. Lowry added the refrain and the tune. The hymn was first sung that November at a national Baptist Sunday school convention in Cincinnati and quickly spread through the gospel songbooks of Ira Sankey. Years later, after her husband died, Hawks said she finally understood the comfort of the words she had written in a time of quiet happiness. Below are the words and 12 KJV passages that stand behind them.
I Need Thee Every Hour: the words
Verse 1
I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh! I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour!
I come to Thee.
Verse 2
I need Thee every hour;
Stay Thou near by;
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh! I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour!
I come to Thee.
Verse 3
I need Thee every hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh! I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour!
I come to Thee.
Verse 4
I need Thee every hour;
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfil.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh! I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour!
I come to Thee.
Verse 5
I need Thee every hour,
Most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh! I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour!
I come to Thee.
Words: Annie S. Hawks (1835-1918), Brooklyn, New York, 1872; refrain and music (NEED) by Robert Lowry, her pastor, 1872. Text copied from Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6 Complete (1894), hymn 597, checked against Hymns Consolation (Bliss), stanzas 2-5 (both Internet Archive scans). The 1894 book prints O bless me now in the refrain; most hymnals, and the Bliss printing's later refrains, use Oh. Public domain. Gospel-choir and modern arrangements may carry their own copyrights.
I need Thee: without Him we can do nothing
1. John 15:5
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. A branch does not need the vine once a week. It needs it every hour, because the life of the branch flows from the vine all the time. Cut off, it withers. That is the picture behind Annie Hawks' hymn. The third stanza even uses Jesus' word: Come quickly and abide, or life is vain. Our need for Christ is not an emergency measure for bad days; it is the normal condition of every Christian life. For more, see our page on John 15.
2. Psalms 86:1
"Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy."
Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. David was a king when he prayed this, yet he did not come to God on the strength of his position. He came on the strength of his need. That is the posture of the hymn's refrain: I need Thee, oh! I need Thee. Need is not something to hide from God. It is the very reason we pray. Psalm 86 goes on to call God ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee (Psalm 86:5). The needy are the ones He hears.
3. Psalms 63:1
"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;"
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. David wrote this in the wilderness of Judah, where water was scarce and thirst was a matter of life and death. He uses that thirst to describe his longing for God. Annie Hawks wrote her hymn on a pleasant morning, not in a desert, and that is part of its lesson. Our need for God is just as real when life is comfortable. We are always in a dry land without Him.
4. Matthew 6:11
"Give us this day our daily bread."
Give us this day our daily bread. Jesus taught His disciples to ask for bread one day at a time, not a year's supply in advance. In the wilderness God gave Israel manna each morning, and it would not keep overnight (Exodus 16:19-20). God designs our lives so that we keep coming back to Him. I Need Thee Every Hour takes the same idea and makes it even more frequent: not every day, but every hour. Dependence is not a weakness to outgrow; it is the way God keeps us close. See also our page on the Lord's Prayer.
Stay Thou near by: His presence in temptation, joy and pain
5. Hebrews 13:5
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
The second stanza asks, Stay Thou near by. The answer is already given in Scripture: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. In Greek this promise piles up negatives, something like I will never, no never, leave you. The writer of Hebrews quotes it to people who were tempted to love money and to fear losing what they had. Contentment is possible because God's presence cannot be lost. The hymn's prayer for God to stay near is not a plea to an absent God; it is a believer asking to feel what is already true.
6. 1 Corinthians 10:13
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh. Paul promises that God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape. No temptation is unique, and none is too strong when God is present. That does not mean temptation will never come. It means it will never come without a door out. The hymn's second stanza is a good prayer to say in the very hour of temptation: Lord, stay near me now, and show me the way of escape.
7. Hebrews 4:15
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. When we pray I need Thee every hour, we are not speaking to a distant God who cannot understand. Jesus lived through hunger, weariness, grief, betrayal and temptation. He knows what an hour of trouble feels like from the inside. That is why the first stanza can say, No tender voice like Thine can peace afford. His tenderness comes from having been where we are.
8. Psalms 16:11
"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
The third stanza says we need the Lord in joy or pain. It is easy to remember God in pain; it is just as necessary in joy. David wrote, in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. The happiest hours of life are not complete without God, because He is the source of the joy itself. Annie Hawks wrote this hymn on a happy morning, and it reminds us to bring our good hours to God as well as our hard ones. Read more Bible verses about joy.
Teach me Thy will: promises fulfilled
9. Psalms 143:10
"Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness."
Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. The fourth stanza of the hymn borrows this prayer almost word for word: Teach me Thy will. David did not ask only to know God's will but to do it, and he trusted God's Spirit to lead him. Needing God every hour includes needing His guidance in ordinary choices. We cannot see the path ahead, but He can, and He is good. See also our Bible verses about guidance.
10. 2 Peter 1:4
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
The fourth stanza continues: And Thy rich promises in me fulfil. Peter calls them exceeding great and precious promises, given so that we might be partakers of the divine nature. God's promises are not just comforting words. Through them He changes us, making us more like Christ. Praying for His promises to be fulfilled in me is asking God to finish the work He has started. For a collection of these promises, see our page on God's promises.
11. 2 Corinthians 1:20
"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us."
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Every promise God has made finds its yes in Jesus Christ. That is why the hymn's last stanza turns from the promises to the Person: Most Holy One, Thou blessed Son. We do not need a long list of promises to hold on to when we have Christ, because He is the guarantee of all of them. When we say Amen at the end of a prayer, we are agreeing that God's yes in Christ is true for us.
12. John 14:23
"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
The hymn ends, Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son. Jesus describes what that belonging looks like: If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. An abode is a home, a permanent dwelling. The believer who prays I need Thee every hour is answered by a God who does not visit for an hour and leave. The Father and the Son come to stay. That is the deepest answer to the refrain's request, I come to Thee: He comes to us.
A short prayer
Most gracious Lord, I need You every hour, in joy and in pain, in quiet mornings and in hard nights. Stay near me when temptation comes, and show me the way of escape. Teach me Your will and give me the grace to do it. Fulfil Your rich promises in me, and make me Yours indeed. Thank You that You never leave me or forsake me. Bless me now, my Saviour; I come to You. Amen.
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Frequently asked questions
Who wrote I Need Thee Every Hour?
Annie Sherwood Hawks (1835-1918) of Brooklyn, New York, wrote the stanzas in June 1872. Her pastor at Hanson Place Baptist Church, Robert Lowry, wrote the refrain I need Thee, oh! I need Thee and composed the tune. Lowry is also known for Shall We Gather at the River and the Easter hymn Up from the Grave He Arose.
What is the Bible verse for I Need Thee Every Hour?
The hymn's main idea comes from John 15:5, where Jesus says without me ye can do nothing, and its line Come quickly and abide echoes His call to abide in Him. Other lines echo Hebrews 13:5 (I will never leave thee), 1 Corinthians 10:13 (temptation and the way of escape) and Psalm 143:10 (Teach me to do thy will).
Is I Need Thee Every Hour in the public domain?
Yes. The words by Annie Hawks and the refrain and tune by Robert Lowry were published in 1872-1873, so they are in the public domain in the United States. Modern recordings and arrangements, including popular gospel-choir versions, may be under copyright, but the original words on this page may be printed and sung freely.
When is I Need Thee Every Hour sung?
It is sung year-round as a prayer hymn, often before or after a pastoral prayer, at funerals, in hospital and nursing-home services, and in Lent. Because it is short and simple, it also works well for personal devotions: many Christians pray one stanza in the morning and the refrain through the day.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: What a Friend We Have in Jesus · Abide with Me · Sweet Hour of Prayer · Up from the Grave He Arose · Prayer · God Always Being With Us · Temptation · Relationship With God · Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior (lyrics)
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