It is recorded that Brother Lawrence once exclaimed, “I am as close to God while working in the kitchen as when I am praying in the chapel.” “The Lord after all”, he went on, “is always near us and where ever we are is Holy ground!”
And so, it was in 1872, when Annie Hawks was 37 and she was busy with her regular household tasks, when suddenly she became filled with the sense of nearness to God. She wondered how anyone could live without knowing their Creator…whether in joy or in pain. It was at this moment that the words, “I Need Thee Every Hour” came to her mind and the thoughts flowed freely as she wrote the poem. The next Sunday she handed the paper to Dr. Robert Lowry at church. He soon had the tune written. Although, Annie wrote over 400 hymns in her life time, I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR is still widely sung to bring blessing. When her husband passed away, it was her very own hymn…that ministered to her most. May you know that God cares for you. He is only a prayer away!