Mrs. Becky and Mrs. Berry

I want to tell you a story about Mrs. Becky and Mrs. Berry. 

Mrs. Becky has been a resident for about five years at the assisted living facility where we do services on Tuesdays.  She also comes "down the hill" for our chapel services in the nursing care facility on Sunday mornings.  Mrs. Berry is a new resident there at the nursing care facility.

I am quite sure that Mrs. Becky never wanted to leave her home to come to live at an assisted living facility.  I am also sure Mrs. Berry never wanted to leave her home to live at a nursing care facility.  Having known Mrs. Becky for these five years, I know she is an independent and capable woman.  I haven't known Mrs. Berry as long, but I sense in her that feeling of being the type of person to "get the job done" when the need arises.

At the end of our chapel services on Sundays, Mrs. Becky has to wait for us to help take the residents to the dining room to the cafeteria, since she sits on the first row and can't get through the chapel aisle until the way is cleared.  A couple weeks ago I was returning to the chapel after taking someone to the dining room and Mrs. Becky was standing by Mrs. Berry's wheelchair.  They had just finished singing together the hymn, "I Need Thee Every Hour."

Neither one of them had planned their respective residences to be where they have ended up, and yet, here they were singing praises to their Lord together and being a great blessing to each other and to all the other residents in the chapel.  Why?  Because they made the choice to continue to trust the Lord when their path took an unexpected turn.  Instead of complaining or moaning, they sang.

They reminded me of a modern day Paul and Silas, singing praises together to the Lord.  It blessed my heart, it blessed my husband's heart when I relayed the story to him and I hope it has blessed your heart as I relay it to you today.  No matter what situation we are placed into, the Lord is sufficient, He is all we need for that very moment.  It is the Lord and the Lord alone who gives "songs in the night,"  or in the chapel in the afternoon for that matter. 

We do well to follow the example of these two dear sisters and choose to trust and praise our Lord with a song in our heart, and on our lips, in every turn of our pathway.

Written by Annie Hawks, here is how she described writing "I Need Thee Every Hour;"

One day as a young wife and mo­ther of 37 years of age, I was bu­sy with my reg­u­lar house­hold tasks. Sud­den­ly, I be­came so filled with the sense of near­ness to the Mast­er that, won­der­ing how one could live with­out Him, ei­ther in joy or pain, these words, “I Need Thee Ev­e­ry Hour,” were ush­ered in­to my mind, the thought at once tak­ing full pos­sess­ion of me.

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.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

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

 

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

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

 

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

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

 

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessèd Son.

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