The hymn is a prayer for God to remain present with the speaker throughout life, through trials, and through death. The opening line alludes to Luke 24: 29, "Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent '', and the penultimate verse draws on text from 1 Corinthians 15: 55, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? '':
what does the song abide with me mean
a prayer for God to remain present with the speaker throughout life, through trials, and through death