Abide with Me
(Henry F. Lyte)
Stepping Over the Horizon (Part II)
LYRICS (Click to minimize)
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
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
Source: LyricFind
Songwriter: Henry Francis Lyte / Will Henry Monk
© Public Domain
CCLI Song #43190 | CCLI License #632898
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
Revelation 14:13 (ESV)
Death has a very strange place in Christian anthropology. On the one hand, there is no place in God’s original creation for death. Death is the culmination of the world’s rebellion against God, and the greatest distortion of the imago Dei. On the other hand, because of the wrongness of death in creation, it is the final enemy which Christ conquered in the grave. The depth of His redemption is thus most visible in death! The rebellion against the world’s Creator is put to an end.
But what does this mean for Christians? We may know that the Lord awaits us on the other side, but that may not negate our fear of death. We may know that Christ redeemed our deaths, but that may not make it any easier. After all, we as humans naturally fear the unknown.
Know this: we are blessed to die in the Lord. Even though death used to be the irreversible, inevitable hurdle into separation from God, it is now the portal through which we enter our Father’s arms. And this is not merely a cliché that we say to comfort the bereaved; no, it is truth spoken from the Spirit Himself, who is indwelling us today and will be with us in eternity.
Do you not crave rest? Whether you are a teenager eager to start life or an elderly person eager for rest, I know you know what it means to tire of your labors. There is a final resting place for us, and praise the Lord for true rest. True rest is not emptiness, like some in the world teach, but fullness! We will be full of the Lord’s light!
The past couple years have taught us nothing if not that life is fleeting. We see healthy people fall ill and pass away. We see entire cities and countries falling to sickness and death. Let this lesson be not one of fear but a reminder to cling to our Lord Jesus.
The hymn “Abide with Me” was written by the minister Henry F. Lyte, who wrote it not out of coincidence but out of an awareness that he was nearing his last days. He wrote about the eventide, or evening, not as a representation of physical night but the final night of life: that of one’s death. After preaching the last sermon of his life, he “walked in the valley garden in front of the home, then down to the rocks, where he sat and composed. It was a lovely sunny day and the sun was setting over distant Dartmoor in a blaze of glory. On the left lay Brixham harbor like a pool of molten gold, with its picturesque trawling vessels lying peacefully at anchor. After the sun had set, Lyte returned to his study. His family thought he was resting, but he was putting the finishing touches to his immortal hymn.”1
The darkness of death is merely the waiting room for the blinding light of Christ. Death may be scary, but I pray that you realize the beauty of this and anticipate that day with me! And praise the Lord, who not only awaits us on the other side but holds our hand over the horizon. When you reach that final day, whether you are surrounded by loved ones or lying there alone, know that Jesus has your hand! He will walk with you in death as He has in life.
Rest, dear reader. Rest in the presence of the Spirit. Rest in the light of Christ. Rest in the open arms of the Father. Fear not the darkness of death, and anticipate the morning of the Lord!
1 Bailey, Albert Edward. The Gospel in Hymns. Scribner, 1952.