Walk with Him: I Need Thee Every Hour

My niece recently adopted a baby from a young woman who isn’t ready to raise a child. The birth mother and her family came to my home to say good-bye to a beautiful baby girl. It was both gut wrenching and marvelously tender. Courage filled the room. Courage to let go and courage to receive. It was a Hannah moment (1 Samuel: 1:27-28) as God remembered and prayers were answered.

The stories of Naomi and Hannah are filled with grief and sadness. Naomi changed her name to Mara, meaning “bitter” or “very sad” as she grieved the loss of her husband and two sons. Hannah was drunk with a sorrowful spirit, longing to have a child that had not yet come. But each chose to respond to their situations, not with resentment, turning their back on God, but instead leaning into Him, with a trust that He could, He would, restore what was lost (Ruth 4:14-15).

I appreciate that the scriptures don’t skip over the deep emotions of these women. It’s good when we name and then claim our feelings, especially the painful ones. I like to think of emotions as the keys on a piano. We need all of them to create beautiful life music. Tears open our hearts, enabling God to enter and reminding us we aren’t meant to do this life alone. “I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord; no tender voice like Thine, can peace afford.”

“I testify to you that God has known you individually … for a long, long time (see D&C 93:23). He has loved you for a long, long time. He not only knows the names of all the stars (see Psalm 147:4; Isaiah 40:26); He knows your names and all your heartaches and your joys!” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell)

“I believe that the challenge of overcoming and growing from adversity appealed to us when God presented His plan of redemption in the premortal world. We should approach that challenge now knowing that our Heavenly Father will sustain us. But it is crucial that we turn to Him. Without God, the dark experiences of suffering and adversity tend to despondency, despair, and even bitterness.” (President D. Todd Christofferson)