Song: I Need Thee Every Hour
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord,
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford;
I need Thee, O I need Thee, every hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. --Hawks
Philippians 4:19
My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Devotion: "Absolute Needs"
From our first breath until our last, we have few truly essential needs. Without oxygen, we would perish in minutes. We must have food and water. Our bodies, when exhausted, require rest. And in harsh weather, we must seek shelter. So, while we are needy creatures, our basic needs are few.
When it comes to our wants, however, there seems to be no limit. Indeed, the entire advertising industry is devoted to expanding our "needs."
But what about those basic needs we overlook? What about our need for the Bread of Life and the living water of God's truth? What about our need for spiritual fellowship that gives strength, hope, peace, and comfort? The vague dissatisfaction so many people experience is really spiritual malnutrition and thirst.
Jesus told a Samaritan woman about the water that would become "a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). He had what she truly needed--what Peter later called "the words of eternal life" (6:68).
Have we been ignoring the words of Jesus: "Man shall not live by bread alone"? (Luke 4:4). Have we been failing to nourish our souls while pursuing our wants? "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righeousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33). --Vernon Grounds, RBC Ministries, "Our Daily Bread."
Just as our body needs daily food, so does our spirit.
John 4:7-15 Reading New Century Version
7When a Samaritan woman came to the well to get some water, Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink." 8[This happened while Jesus' followers were in town buying some food.] 9The woman said, "I am surprised that you ask me for a drink, since you are a Jewish man and I am a Samaritan woman." [Jewish people are not friends with Samaritans.] 10Jesus said, "If you only knew the free gift of God and who it is that is asking you for water, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11The woman said, "Sir, where will you get this living water? The well is very deep, and you have nothing to get water with. 12Are you greater than Jacob, our father, who gave us this well and drank from it himself along with his sons and flocks?" 13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I will give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life." 15The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so I will never be thirsty again and will not have to come back here to get more water."
