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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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Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria
The words of the hymns are words of prayer for the hopeless.
New Delhi, India
This is a very soothing and comforting song. My grandma used to sing very oft. Reminds me of the time spent reading the Scripture and singing songs with her.
Mansfield Twp., NJ, United States
Singing "Abide With Me" today in church, I was moved to tears by the touching lyrics and memories of singing this at dear friends' funerals. Lyte's poem speaks to me especially now as I enter the later years of life. How wondrous to be connected with Christ and His followers through this great hymn! Thank you.
Mission Viejo, California, United States
With the light praise and worship music of today, we are blessed by the great love of Christ so eloquently expressed in this hymn. How I love to hear and sing of His care for me and all mankind.
Moulton, Northampton, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Following up Joey's comment (Dec. 13, 2009) I visited the grave of Lyte in the churchyard in Nice, France in 2004 - a simple cross duly inscribed on the flat stone on which it rests. I took a photograph of it.
There are three more verses to the original hymn, as follows:
Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word,
But as Thou dwellest with Thy disciples Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free,
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.
Thou on my head in early youth did smile,
And though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee,
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.
Hold then Thy cross before my closing eyes,
Speak through the gloom, and point me to the skies,
Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee!
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!
The third verse above being the final one.
India
@ Gay, it must have been a wonderful experience spiritual time for you as well!
My experience was/is a bitter one. When I see guys even younger than me are blessed in God's hands. I fret to see the sun everyday living in God's curse. It was this song that made penitent and makes me cry because of my old backslidden life! And it BRINGS ME TO HIS FEET EVERY TIME I HEAR!!
Washington, DC, United States
This song reminds you that God will abide and be with you in all walks of life and also in death. My grandfather also loved this song. One of my fondest memories of him is coming home from a trip in the country, He will put the cassette tape in the car audio and play this song and hum along.
London, United Kingdom
Henry F. Lyte, 1847 (Abide With Me)
Dying of tuberculosis away from his family and with only another clergyman attending him during his final hours, his last words were reportedly, "Peace! Joy!"
Bengalooru, Karnataka, India
I like this hymn because I learned it when I was a child, now I am 40. I thank my Jesus for giving me the old hymns again on hymnal.net.
Suva, Naitasiri, Fiji
Thank God we have something sensible to fall back on like this. Praise His holy Name.