Talk About – Songs & Hymns: Abide With Me

Published On: October 23, 2017

Overview

This month we focused on Abide With Me (Lyte, 1847) and Abide With Me (Maher & Redman, 2015). This is another pairing where the modern version takes ideas from the original and considers them in a different way. Both focus on our need for God to be with us in everything we do.

Questions

All the lyrics and questions are found in the booklet but you can get the questions in PDF form HERE!

Background

Written, shortly before his death on November 20th 1947, the Anglican priest Henry Francis Lyte (Challies, 2013) based Abide With Me on Luke 24:29 and linked with the account of Emmaus (Romain, 2008). The hymn itself was written in the last years of Lyte’s life as he stepped down from ministry and developed worsening health suffering with tuberculosis; overall it assures us of God’s presence and help in life and in death (Donovan, 2007).

Video 1

Audrey Assad: Abide With Me

Video 2

Matt Maher & Matt Redman: Abide With Me

Summary

Matt Maher began writing his version of Abide With Me with David Crowder and came up with the melody parts; he then worked with Matt Redman who had the lyrics for the verse which they felt fitted together. Their focus was writing a prayer asking God to abide with us, in the context that our sufferings are not permanent, they are earthly (Essential Worship, 2016). This is very important for us to focus on, our personal relationship with God and asking Him to be with us in both our struggles and our successes; in Psalm 23 David writes that he is not afraid because God is with him:

“4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4

Finally, everyone was encouraged to rely on God daily and look to Him for help, as written in Psalm 46:

“1 God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1

 

References

  • Bible (n.d.) ESV Bible. Bible Gateway [online]. Available at: https://www.biblegateway.com (Accessed: 2 October 2017).
  • Challies, T. (2013) Hymn Stories: Abide With Me. Challies [online]. Available at: https://www.challies.com/articles/hymn-stories-abide-with-me/ (Accessed: 2 October 2017).
  • Donovan, R. (2007) Hymn Story: Abide With Me. Sermon Writer [online]. Available at: https://www.sermonwriter.com/hymn-stories/abide-with-me (Accessed: 2 October 2017).
  • Lyte, H. F. (1847) Abide With Me
  • Maher, M. and Redman, M. (2015) Abide With Me
  • Maher, M (Essential Worship) (2016) Abide With Me: Story. YouTube [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKXwAYiIIYs (Accessed: 2 October 2017).
  • Romain, D (2008) History of Hymns: “Abide with Me”. Discipleship Ministries [online]. Available at: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-abide-with-me (Accessed: 2 October 2017).