1. 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, O abide with me.
2. 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.
3. Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word,
But as Thou dwell’st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free.
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.
4. 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;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
1847 (?)
Story of the hymn Abide With Me
Story of Abide With Me
"Abide with Me" is a beloved Christian hymn written by Henry Francis Lyte (1793–1847), a Scottish Anglican cleric, poet, and hymn writer.
The hymn draws inspiration from Luke 24:29 in the Bible.
It was written shortly before the author's death
Date: 1847 (?)
Abide With Me - Details
Listen:
Background and History
Henry Francis Lyte was born on June 1, 1793, in Ednam (near Kelso), Scotland. Orphaned young, he overcame poverty to study at Trinity College, Dublin,
where he excelled in poetry (winning English prize poems multiple times). Initially considering medicine, he shifted to theology, was ordained in 1815,
and served in various parishes, including a long tenure as vicar of All Saints Church in Brixham, Devon, England (a fishing village where he ministered for
much of his life).
Lyte suffered from poor health throughout his adult life, including lung issues that developed into tuberculosis. He frequently sought relief abroad. In 1847,
at age 54, facing his final illness, he preached his last sermon in Brixham before planning a trip to Italy (or Nice, France) for his health. Tradition holds that
on the evening after his farewell service (likely in September 1847), he walked along the coast in reflection and prayer, then returned to write or complete the
hymn "Abide with Me." He handed it to a relative with a tune he composed himself (though that original melody is rarely used today).
He died shortly after, on November 20, 1847, in Nice, France.
There is some debate about the exact composition date: one account (from a 1925 Spectator article) suggests Lyte wrote it in 1820 while visiting a dying friend
(William Augustus Le Hunte), and later revised or recalled it in 1847. However, Lyte himself referred to it as his "latest effusion" in a letter that year, and
most sources favor 1847 as the primary date of its final form or publication.
The hymn draws inspiration from Luke 24:29 in the Bible (from the Road to Emmaus story in the King James Version): "But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us:
for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." It is a poignant prayer for God's abiding presence amid life's fading light, change, decay, trials, and death—reflecting Lyte's own circumstances.
Abide With Me - Video
Sing along on YouTube:
Abide With Me - Devotional
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus,
As the day quiets and our hearts grow still, we turn to You, the One who never leaves us nor forsakes us. Draw near to us in the places where we feel weak, uncertain, or alone. Let Your presence steady our steps and calm our fears. Teach us to rest in Your unchanging love, even as the world around us shifts and shadows fall.
Amen.
Scripture Foundation
"Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." - Luke 24:29
These words, spoken by the disciples on the road to Emmaus, capture the longing of every human heart:
"Stay with us, Lord. Do not leave us in the dim places. Walk with us through the unknown."
This simple plea became the heartbeat of Henry Francis Lyte's hymn, a prayer for Christ's nearness in every season, especially in life's twilight moments.
Reflection:
"Abide With Me" was written as Lyte sensed his earthly life drawing to a close. Yet the hymn is not a song of despair. It is a declaration of trust. It reminds us that God's presence is not
fragile or fleeting. When strength fails, when familiar comforts fade, when the evening shadows lengthen, Christ remains.
The hymn invites us to shift our gaze from what is passing to the One who is eternal.
When we feel overwhelmed, He abides.
When we face loss, He abides.
When we step into the unknown, He abides.
When our own strength falters, His does not.
The world changes, but Christ does not. His presence is the steady light that guides us through every dusk and into every dawn.
As you reflect today, consider this gentle question:
Where do you most need Christ to abide with you right now?
Name that place before Him. Invite Him into it.
And trust that He is already nearer than you know.
