He was not yet emeritus when he wrote “Abide With Me” which is found in Hymn 329 with the title “Stay with me”. Chronic tuberculosis stopped his ministry in the world. He was the Rev Henry Francis Lyte, an Englishman, who was born in Ednam, a small village near Kelso in the Scottish Borders on 1 June 1793. In that year France under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte was attempting to take control of British territory. Henry's father, Thomas Lyte, was a military officer who joined the defence of his nation from French occupation. The war situation made Henry's childhood unhappy, because his father, who held the rank of captain, moved from place to place due to assignments from the state. 

Mother's Love for All Time

His father who rarely came home meant that Henry was mostly cared for by his mother Anna Maria. Henry was the second child, the eldest was Thomas and the younger brother was George. From a young age his mother taught Henry and his siblings about God's love and goodness, taught him to pray, and read him stories from the Bible. The war situation limited opportunities for formal education. His mother stepped in to educate Henry and his two brothers in various knowledge and faith, so that they would grow in faith and also enjoy various teachings while playing around the house.

His father then moved Thomas and Henry to attend formal education in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, his mother and youngest son George moved to England. The close relationship between mother and son had to be severed. Henry had to lose the figure of his mother who had lovingly cared for him. Henry became a moody figure. Feeling sad and alone then led Henry to write every path of life that he went through in the lyrics of poetry.

The Chancellor’s Prize

Henry was then adopted by Dr Robert Burrows who was at the time the Headmaster of the school where Henry was studying. Robert was also the first to recognise Henry's talent for writing poetry. As an adoptive father he fully funded his education and also provided the love that was missing from his life. It was like Henry got a second chance and did not waste the kindness that his adoptive father and mother had given him.

After completing his primary education, Henry received a full scholarship to study theology at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Henry also did not have to think about his daily needs regarding food and dormitory fees as they were covered by the scholarship.

 

Henry realised that it was his mother's love as a child and her teachings about the goodness of God that led him to enter theological school. He has not forgotten any of his mother's teachings to remain humble when awarded the honour of the Chancellor's Prizefor the best English Poem category for 3 consecutive years while Henry was still a student. His poem“To a Field Flower,” written on 27 April 1812, followed by his poem titled “Sad Thoughts,”and“Yes! I am calm, am humbled now,”which was created in 1815 signifies that he had experienced many disappointing and even bitter experiences in his life.

Companionship with suffering

Henry's theological training led him to enter the Episcopal Church in 1815 and begin serving as a minister in Tagmon, a village in County Wexford, Ireland. There Henry became close friends with Rev Abraham Swanne as they shared many interests and concerns. Both also shared an ecumenical worldview at a time when religious tolerance was at its lowest ebb. Their friendship was separated only by death, as Rev Abraham preceded him to his heavenly Father's house due to illness. When his friend was in critical condition, Henry was led to see the basis of his own hope. Swanne's determination and confidence in God's provision made a lasting impression on Henry. Abraham Swanne's faith influenced Henry for the rest of his life and throughout his ministry. Although Henry only served in the parish for about 3 years, he always saw Taghmon as a major milestone in his spiritual and pastoral life.

The travelling of his best friend put quite a strain on Henry mentally and physically. He had to carry out his ministry duties alone which made Henry's health fragile and eventually led to lung problems. His illness grew worse and worse and the doctor advised him to rest in a warm climate. Henry obeyed and travelled to warmer climates and slowly his body recovered.

After recovering somewhat Henry settled in the harbour area of Bristol where the climate was still warm. There Henry served in two or three successive ministry areas. In 1817 Henry accepted an appointment as a lecturer in the chapels of the town of Marazion. This was still on the northern English coastline and directly in front of it was the monastery of Mount St Michael. It was during this time in 1818 that Henry married Anne Maxwell, the only daughter of the Reverend W. Maxwell, who ministered in the city of Bath. Henry gave his wife the baptismal name Anna Maria after his mother whom he loved dearly. Henry and his wife then lived in Lymington. Anne faithfully became a good helper to her husband. Not only did she manage the household but also helped the parish by doing local work such as visiting the sick. Anne was also able to manage the finances from her husband's clergy salary carefully. They had a child but he died of illness which brought sorrow to both of them. It seems that Henry was a friend of suffering as he had to go through a life full of struggles.

To keep his health from getting worse Henry took a sabbatical and rested during the winter months. Henry remained productive during his rest and wrote his charming work entitled “Tales on the Lord’s Prayer”(Tales on the Lord's Prayer) was published in 1826. His love of music led him to write hymn tunes to accompany church services. His work "God of Mercy God of Grace"is also translated into Hymn 288: “Let's Praise the King of Heaven”.

In 1827 Henry was given the responsibility of training two young African men to become school teachers and catechists. They were later placed in service in their native Sierra Leone. Henry also managed an extensive library whose book collection continued to grow. In it Henry devoted much time to theological research. His hard work caused his health to fail again and he was forced to seek recuperation by travelling to Italy. Once again, in October 1844, he travelled to Italy, where he spent the winter and the following year and remained prolific writing the poems “Longings for Home,”, “Thoughts in Weakness,” and “Czar in Rome,”   and publishing them in 1846.

In the last hours of suffering from a prolonged illness, he wrote the manuscript of his last hymn, "Abide with Me."The content is inspired by the story of the two Emmaus men who begged the Lord Jesus, "Stay with us, for it is evening and the sun is setting" (Luke 24:29). Thus Lyte begins the song with the line, "Stay with me, it's twilight; G’laps are falling, God stay.

Pdt. Andar Ismail in his book  Good Morning God!, states this song wasn't written as a twilight hymn, but as a prayer for faith in the face of death. And in those times of "twilight" the mainstay of faith is the Lord Jesus. Henry Lyte's feelings are evident in the second verse of the song:

My life is ebbing, death is approaching.

Worldly pleasures drift away.

None endures, none stands

Worldly wisdom drifts away

You who are immortal, stay with me

You who are eternal, stay with me

He then sent the manuscript to his wife from Avignon. His breathing was getting shorter and Henry seemed to know that he might not be able to return home. Two months after composing the piece and while almost in Nice on his way to Rome for treatment, his illness worsened and he breathed his last on 20 November 1847 in the hotel de Angleterre. Henry died at the age of 54 and was buried at Holy Trinity Church two days later. Henry had finished his match well. Until death came he remained faithful. As summed up in the last line of the song: ”In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me ” which means: “both while I live, and after I die, O Lord abide with me.”   That is also the longing of all of us. O, Lord abide with me.