Welcome back to "10 Hymns Every Christian Should Know," a series hosted by Grand Parkway Baptist Church's Worship Pastor, Clyde Copeland, and Associate Worship Leader, Lindsay Fralick.

In this episode, we explore the moving hymn "Abide with Me," written by Henry Francis Lyte. Lyte, who had a difficult relationship with his father, still wrote about a warm and loving Father, demonstrating the power of the gospel to transform our understanding. The hymn is based on Luke 24, where the disciples ask Jesus to "abide with us, for it is toward evening". It is a prayer for God's presence during trials and as we approach the end of our lives.

We also discuss why hymns that face mortality head-on, like this one, are so important. They remind us that there is something more waiting for us beyond this life. Thinking about our mortality changes everything, preventing us from turning our current life into an idol.

Finally, we reflect on the powerful line "though rebellious and perverse meanwhile, Thou hast not left me". This phrase gives us language for our own moments of doubt and shows that God's love always pulls us back, even when we have shown by our actions that we want to leave him. This hymn, like others that speak to our suffering, resonates deeply because it gives us language for feelings we didn't realize we needed to express.

The 5:19 Worship Podcast is a ministry of Grand Parkway Baptist Church