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Abide with me! fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide! When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me. |
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Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me. |
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Come not in terrors, as the King of kings; But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings: Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea; Come, Friend of sinners, thus abide with me. |
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I need Thy presence every passing hour: What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power? Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me. |
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I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless: Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness: Where is death's sting? where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide with me. |
The fourth step in escaping the fall is to know the frailty of man. Enosh is another interesting name in Genesis 4. Enosh means "frail, mortal man." This implies that to escape from walking on the path of the fall, we need to know the frailty of man. We need to know that man is nothing and can break, just as a glass cup breaks easily. This is frailty. Man is frail. Some people do not know themselves. They think that they are smart, wise, and strong, when in fact they have nothing of which to boast. When a car hits a man, he is as fragile as a glass cup. When he is infected with tuberculosis, he must lie down. He may even die from tuberculosis. Man's life is frail. Man's name is Abel, but man's name is also Enosh. Abel means that man is vain, but Enosh means that man is frail. People who dream about their life should wake up. Man is not strong. Man will collapse when he is sick, and he will die if a car hits him. A wife can collapse when she is mad at her husband. She can even get ulcers because of her anger. A person can live to be one hundred years at most. The Chinese say that few can live to the age of seventy. Being fifty years old is not yet the twilight hour, but it is already four o'clock in the afternoon. Some people are at eight or nine o'clock in the evening. There is a hymn that says, "Swift to its close ebbs our life's little day" (Hymns, #370, stanza 2). People must wake up from their dreams, because human life is vain and frail. In order to escape the fall, we must realize the meaning of human life. Those who continue in the fall do not know their own human life. In chapter 4 those who were delivered out of the fall knew that human life is vain and frail.
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Newtown, Powys
My mother's and her mother's favourite hymn. I learnt it long ago. It always reduces me to tears.
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
So very beautiful.. . So Moving. So True...
I am not a Christian - but born a Muslim..
This hymn composed by a simple pastor in his Great Hour of Need is one I always turn to in my own hours of need.
It never fails to console - always strengthens me.
I believe in the Universality of Religion. Don't you??
What is religion for...but to bring about a Brotherhood of ALL Human Beings??
Newcastle, Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom
Wonderful hymn, this is one of my favourite. I love it. Abide with me oh Lord. I need Thee always.
Austin, Texas, United States
Great hymn. I sang it out in my sleep three days ago. But maybe you will need to modify the beginning of the second line because a lot of born again Christians personalize their songs. Maybe we say: EVEN THROUGH THE DARKNESS, LORD WITH ME ABIDE.
London, United Kingdom
I know this hymn from my childhood, and I love it.
But last week, when I had a sleepless night due to serious pain on my hands,
When the next evening comes I was afraid of the night due to my previous exp; so this hymn came to me, I sang it by faith and since then, am having a good sleep.
India
Abide with me, dear Lord. For what am I precious Lord, without Thee!
JESUS, Name above all names!
All glory to Thee in the highest.
Even so, come Lord JESUS!
Fort Wortb, Tx, United States
"Come not in terrors, as the King of kings, but kind and good, with healing in Thy wings; tears for all woes, a heart for every plea; come ,friend of sinners, thus abide with me"...What an evergreen!!!!, I remember this song from my elementry school days, and so many years later, it still brings joy to my soul each time I meditate on it. To God be the Glory, Honor, and Adoration... Amen.
Vadodara, Gujarat, India
I am an Indian Christian and proud to hear the trumpet on 26th of Jan 2013. Wow! It's so great to be a Christian and hear the song tunes!!!!! How our Living God is Present!!!!!
Detroit, MI, United States
Adding to Joey's 12/2009 comment on the story behind this hymn:
Henry Lyte coined the phrase, "It is better to wear out than to rust out." And Henry Lyte wore out when he was 54 years old, an obscure pastor who labored for 23 years in a poor church in a fishing village in Devonshire, England. This hymn written shortly before his death, was inspired by the words of the 2 disciples met by Jesus on the road to Emmaus: "Stay the night with us, since it is getting late." (Luke 24:29)
As Lyte wrote this hymn, he knew he was dying of tuberculosis and asthma (see 5th stanza). It was "eventide" for him, darkness was deepening, and he felt very much alone. - Great Songs of faith by Brown & Norton
Mesa, Az, United States
Hold thou thy cross
Before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom
And Point me to the skies
Heaven's morning breaks
And earth's vain shadows flee
Help of the helpless Oh Abide with me