The Theology of Worship Music – Lord, I Need You by Christy Nockels, et. al.

The Theology of Worship Music – Lord, I Need You

by Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves, Kristian Stanfill, Matt Maher

A song of prayer to our Lord, Jesus Christ, is one of the purest forms of worship. This is a song of consecration unto God; Lord, I Need You. The theme is clearly prayer directed toward God. There is no specific scripture passage that is identifiable in the text of the verses or chorus, but you can find many passages that reinforce the thoughts expressed.

I think the idea of the song came from the familiar hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour.” The choruses of both songs are very similar. The verses, however, are very different. In case you are not familiar with the old hymn, here are the verses and refrain (chorus).

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 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.

Public domain.

Verses by Annie S. Hawks, 1872

Refrain (chorus) by Robert Lowry, 1872

Verse one of Lord, I Need You begins with bowing before the Lord and declaring our need for Him. Verse two follows with a description of God’s grace and purification (holiness) through the presence of Christ in our life.

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

The hook of the song is my favorite line and is found in the chorus: “My One Defense, my Righteousness.” When we face our Maker at judgment our only hope for entering heaven is through our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is our only Defense when on trial in heaven’s court. It is through His righteousness, and Him becoming our Righteousness, that we are able to stand before the Lord without shame.

I love the old hymn. I love the new hymn. Both are great songs of consecration to the Lord. Let us stay submitted to Him.