Lord I Need You

It just so happens that I’m writing this on July 4th only 247 years after the Declaration of Independence was ratified and the US became an independent nation. What better time to talk about our dependence on God?

The song “Lord I Need You” by Matt Maher is one of those songs that reminds us of our need for God – always. Psalm 100:3 says, “…It is he who made us; and we are his…”

In C.S. Lewis’s book “The Four Loves,” he describes what this song is about as “need-love.” Lewis defined “need-love” as the love that is dependent, like a child’s love towards its mother. He writes, “But man’s love for God, from the very nature of the case, must always be very largely, and must often be entirely, a Need-love.”

 

Verse 1

Lord I come, I confessBowing here, I find my restWithout You, I fall apartYou’re the one that guides my heart

Chorus
Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Verse 2
Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Bridge
So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand, I’ll fall on You
Jesus, You’re my hope and stay

Tag
You’re my one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

If you grew up singing the same hymns I did in church, then you recognize the inspiration for this song comes from the old hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour” by Annie S. Hawks and Robert Lowry (1872). Both the old hymn and the new song are relevant throughout the ages. Our love for God is our dependence on God.
Our need for God stands in contrast with our desire to be self-sufficient and self-reliant. Sometimes, we need to sing a reminder to ourselves of our need for God.

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