Abide with Me - Traditional

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.

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.

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, Lord, abide with me.

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.

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.

Abide with Me lyrics were written by Henry Francis Lyte as he faced his own mortality using the imagery of the falling eventide to describe the close of life. The song highlights that when other helpers fail and comforts flee the help of the helpless is found in God alone. It is a staple for funerals and evening services for its peaceful and trusting tone. By singing the Abide with Me lyrics the faithful find courage to face the darkness and the change that life brings knowing that the light of Christ remains constant even through the valley of the shadow of death.