"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."
There’s something about evening that invites deeper reflection. I spent many nights at retreats, at summer camp, or in college, staying up late and talking about the deeper mysteries of life. Something about the evening causes distractions to quiet down, and we finally have to face the things we’ve managed to outrun all day whether that be our fears or our dreams or our longings.
The hymn Abide with Me seems to speak directly about these evening moments of reflection and vulnerability. It’s an honest confession that sometimes, we just can’t hold it all together on our own.
As we sing these words, we pray for the “Help of the helpless” to arrive. And the hymn continually reminds us that in the fading evening, at the moments when we face our greatest fears, God abides. Not from a distance, but quietly, and steadily, God abides with us through the deepening dark.
Maybe that’s all we really need at the end of the day; not endless answers or all our problems resolved, but rather a God with us as light and hope and presence amid the darkness.
There’s something about evening that invites deeper reflection. I spent many nights at retreats, at summer camp, or in college, staying up late and talking about the deeper mysteries of life. Something about the evening causes distractions to quiet down, and we finally have to face the things we’ve managed to outrun all day whether that be our fears or our dreams or our longings.
The hymn Abide with Me seems to speak directly about these evening moments of reflection and vulnerability. It’s an honest confession that sometimes, we just can’t hold it all together on our own.
As we sing these words, we pray for the “Help of the helpless” to arrive. And the hymn continually reminds us that in the fading evening, at the moments when we face our greatest fears, God abides. Not from a distance, but quietly, and steadily, God abides with us through the deepening dark.
Maybe that’s all we really need at the end of the day; not endless answers or all our problems resolved, but rather a God with us as light and hope and presence amid the darkness.
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March
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April
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May
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June
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