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Abide With Me

Today Tim Challies writes is the anniversary of the great hymn Abide with Me. 

This Day in 1847. Henry Francis Lyte preached his final sermon. Lyte was weak from Tuberculosis and gave his farewell address to his congregation, knowing he had little time left. That evening he handed a relative a final hymn he written, titled “Abide with Me.” The hymn would far outlive the name of its author. I am partial to the version adapted by Indelible Grace. *

This hymn was my grandfather's favourite.  He was a rogue in life, but this hymn was sung regularly by the crowd at the local football (soccer) stadium and in this way he learned to love it.  He trusted Christ just weeks before he passed away from lung cancer.  I prayed the words of this hymn as I conducted his funeral.  Maybe that is why I don't agree with Challies about the new version above.  It is the hymn and its traditional melody that speaks to me.




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