Abide with Me

Verse 1
Abide with me!
Fast falls the ev­en­tide; (Luke 24:29)
The dark­ness thick­ens.
Lord with me abide.
When other help­ers fail,
And com­forts flee,
Help of the help­less, (Ps. 10:14)
O abide with me!

Verse 2
Swift to its close
Ebbs out life’s lit­tle day;
Earth’s joys grow dim,
Its glo­ries pass away; (I Cor. 7:31, I John 2:17)
Change and de­cay
In all around I see; (Ps. 102:26)
O Thou who chang­est not, (Malachi 3:6, Heb. 13:8, Ps. 102:27)
Abide with me!

Verse 3
Not a brief glance
I beg, a pass­ing word;
But as Thou dwell’st
With Thy dis­ci­ples, Lord, (Luke 24:29-31)
Familiar, con­des­cend­ing,
Patient, free.
Come, not to so­journ,
But abide with me. (Luke 24:29, John 14:23)

Verse 4
Come not in ter­rors,
As the King of kings, (Rev. 19:16)
But kind and good,
With heal­ing in Thy wings, (Mal. 4:2)
Tears for all woes,
A heart for ev­ery plea,
Come, friend of sin­ners, (Matt. 11:19, Luke 7:34)
And abide with me.

Verse 5
Thou on my head
In ear­ly youth didst smile; (Ps. 71:5-6)
And though re­bel­li­ous
And per­verse mean­while,
Thou hast not left me, (Neh. 9:17)
Oft as I left Thee,
On to the close,
O Lord, abide with me!

Verse 6
I need Thy pre­sence
Every pass­ing hour. (Ex. 33:14-15)
What but Thy grace
Can foil the tempt­er’s pow­er? (I Cor. 10:13)
Who like Thy­self
My guide and stay can be? (Ps. 18:18)
Through cloud and sun­shine,
O abide with me!

Verse 7
I fear no foe
With Thee at hand to bless: (Ps. 23:4)
Ills have no weight,
And tears no bit­ter­ness.
Where is death’s sting?
Where, grave, thy vic­to­ry? (I Cor. 15:55, Hosea 13:14)
I tri­umph still, (I Cor. 15:57, II Cor. 2:14)
If Thou abide with me.

Verse 8
Hold Thou Thy cross
Before my clos­ing eyes; (Gal. 3:1)
Shine through the gloom, (II Pet. 1:19)
And point me to the skies;
Heav’n’s morn­ing breaks,
And earth’s vain sha­dows flee: (Song of Solomon 2:17, Song of Solomon 4:6, Isa. 60:1-2)
In life, in death,
O Lord, abide with me! (Rom. 14:8)