There’s a hymn we used to sing in church, “I Need Thee Every Hour.” It was written by Annie S. Hawks in 1872, a song that we could all relate to if we just admit our losses and failures. See if you agree.

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide, or life is 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;

Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Oh, yes, I need Him to make sense of the chaos and difficulties, the stumbles and falters, the failures I experience. I was in many ways more fortunate than most. I had an earthly Father who believed and practiced following Christ to the best of his ability, and a mother who made sure we were fed and dressed and well-mannered. We attended church services every Sunday and Wednesday; our churches hosted guest speakers, often in week-long revivals, so we were exposed to Christians from around the world. I learned very early that I needed Jesus, and accepted Him as my Savior very early in my life. Even as I became an adult and made the choice to step into the temptations of the world, I knew in my heart Who was LORD. I have been reminded over and over in the consequences of my choices that God is Supreme. He pulled me out of the depths of sin and depravity more than once. For a season, I would acknowledge His Lordship, and then I would turn my back on my Savior and go my merry way.

It amazes me that He never gave up on me. I’m not proud of my choices, even knowing that the greatest men of the Bible succumbed to temptation as great as mine. It amazes me that God chooses to use the bruised and the broken to follow Him. I think that’s why these words of Annie Hawks resonate in my soul. These words, along with the hymn ” Just As I Am” touch me so deeply. God doesn’t care about our past, or our color, or our financial state, or our physical condition. He cares about ONE thing; He cares about our souls, our heart condition. That’s why, in the Old Testament, the priests made blood sacrifices; to cover the sins of His chosen people. That’s why He sent His Son Jesus, to make the ultimate sacrifice and to cover ALL of our sins, past, present, and future, when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior. It’s why Jesus sacrificed Himself. For YOU. For ME. If you were the only person who ever lived, Jesus would have done whatever He did, just for you.

Mind-boggling; simple, but hard.

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the Everlasting GOD, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding.” – Isaiah 40:28 (http://bible.com/116/isa.40.28.NLT)

HALLELUJAH!