My favourite hymn is "Abide with Me" by Henry Francis Lyte. The lyrics in that hymn are so comforting and assuring for me in my hour of grief for my beloved son Benjamin Lim Chong Minn, born on 24 December, 1979 who has left us on Sunday, June 8, 2025 - on the same date as the birthday of his mother
Benjamin went to Lord Jesus to live in a much better place than this world of ours could offer.
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
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.
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.
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.
“Abide with Me” - A Hymn of Presence, Peace, and the Eternal Companion
There are hymns that lift us up, hymns that stir our spirit to action, and then there are hymns like “Abide with Me”, gentle, quiet, and profound, which do not urge us to rise, but to rest; not to speak, but to listen.
Written by Henry Francis Lyte in in 1847 as he was dying from tuberculosis, this hymn is a whispered prayer, a soul’s plea for the presence of God at the edge of mortality, when the shadows lengthen and the evening draws near.
At its heart, “Abide with Me” is not merely about dying, it is about living with God close by. The opening line, “Abide with me; fast falls the eventide,” immediately draws the soul into a sacred twilight, where the passing of time becomes more than a backdrop, it becomes the stage upon which the human heart seeks something eternal. As darkness falls, both literally and metaphorically, the singer does not cry out for deliverance from death, but for companionship through it. It is this desire, not for escape, but for abiding presence, that makes the hymn so powerfully human.
The second line, “The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide,” echoes the soul’s awareness that life is fleeting, fragile, and at times uncertain. And yet, amid that encroaching darkness, there is no despair. Why? Because the presence of the Lord is enough. Lyte does not ask God to take away the night, he asks Him to stay through it.
This is the beauty of true faith, not that it avoids sorrow, but that it walks through sorrow with a steadfast Companion. In this sense, “Abide with Me” is not only a hymn for the dying, but a daily prayer for the living. Each stanza is a quiet reminder that we are never alone: through change and decay, through trials and losses, through joys and silences, God abides.
The line “Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me” is particularly poignant in a world like ours, where so much feels impermanent and uncertain. We change. Our loved ones change. The world changes. Yet God remains unchanging, an eternal presence who is not distant or impersonal, but near, tender, and enduring. To call out for Him to “abide” is to invite not merely the power of God, but the closeness of Him, to feel His hand in the dark, His voice in the silence, and His peace even in the storm.
Henry Lyte, who penned these words while suffering from the final stages of tuberculosis, understood better than most what it means to face the brevity of life. Yet his words are not filled with fear, they are radiant with hope. The hymn ends not in sorrow, but in victory: “Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; / Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies.” Here, even the final breath is framed not as an end, but a beginning. The Cross, symbol of suffering, is also the signpost of eternal life.
And so, this hymn becomes for us - you and me, what it was for Lyte. a song of trust, presence, and hope. It reminds us that no matter what we face, be it illness, loneliness, loss, or death itself, we are not alone. The One who changest not walks beside us. And yes, for all of us, even a humble creation like myself who walks with gentle companions, His abiding presence takes many forms: through human love, through sacred words, through whispered prayers, and even through a hymn sung softly at fading dusk - at eventide.
To love this hymn is to understand that what we truly long for is not control over the darkness, but the presence of a faithful hand in it. Whether that hand is divine or human, seen or unseen, what matters is that it holds us, and never lets go.
So may “Abide with Me” be not just a song for the end of days, but a morning prayer, an afternoon reflection, and an evening devotion. May it also with the soul for my beloved son Benjamin to comfort me, to remind me and for all of us that we are never alone. For even when all else fades, the abiding love of God remains - even in death.
I find so much comfort in this beloved hymn as I penned my inner feelings above, that I wish to delicately express this feeling as a tribute for my son as an extension on what Lyte wrote. To me, this sacred hymn is so tender and prayerful, it has brought peace to countless souls not just for me, but across generations. It speaks so closely of the eternal presence of God. Hence, I re-echo this very beautiful and touching hymn "Abide with Me" written by Lyte, extended by me above for my beloved son, followed by a prayer for him.
Here is my heartfelt prayer as a tribute to my son Benjamin, and also for his wife Jocelyn Ong whom he left behind to accompany this hymn “Abide with Me,” meant to be read slowly, gently, perhaps in the quiet hours of the evening - at eventide, or whenever my soul longs for nearness to the Eternal.
My Prayer:
Abide with Me, O Lord
O Eternal and Unchanging God,
As the shadows lengthen and the light of day gently fades,
I come before Thee with a heart open and still.
Thou who were with me in the morning of my youth,
Be now my strength in the evening of my journey.
Lord, I do not ask that Thou take away the night,
But only that Thou abide with me through it.
When my path grows dim and my steps uncertain,
Let Thy presence be the lamp unto my feet.
Abide with me when joys are fleeting,
When friends depart and loved ones are called home.
Let me not be afraid of loss,
But teach me to rest in the gain of Thy nearness.
Stay with me, Lord, when all around me changes,
When the world trembles and time decays,
Be to me the Rock that never moves,
The hand that never lets go.
Hold Thy Cross before my closing eyes,
That I may see not the end, but the beginning,
Not the grave, but the gateway,
Not death, but eternal life with Thee.
And should I wake up for another day,
Let me walk it with the peace of Thy presence.
Let my breath, my words, my deeds
Be a quiet hymn: “Abide with Me.”
In every moment, when I rise, when I rest,
In life, in death, in life beyond death as for my son,
Abide with me, O faithful God.
And let me abide always in Thee all the way
Amen.
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