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Be With Me Lord
Be With Me Lord
I cannot live without Thee,
I dare not try to take one step alone,
I cannot bear the loads of life, unaided,
I need Thy strength to lean myself upon.
Be with me, Lord,
And then if dangers threaten,
If storms of trial burst above my head,
If lashing seas leap everywhere about me,
They cannot harm, or make my heart afraid.
Be with me, Lord!
No other gift or blessing
Thou couldst bestow could with this one compare
A constant sense of Thy abiding presence,
Where'er I am, to feel that Thou art near.
Be with me, Lord,
when loneliness overtakes me,
When I must weep amid the fires of pain,
And when shall come the hour of "my departure"
For "worlds unknown," O Lord, be with me then.
- Thomas O. Chisholm, 1935
Awhile back, I awoke in the middle of the night and had trouble falling back
to sleep. Not so uncommon, but this time was different. As my feeble
efforts failed, my anxiety began to slowly grow more intense. Over time, I
considered getting out of bed and taking a pill for anxiety. It’s an affliction
diagnosed by my physician a few years ago, and he prescribed this med. For
too long I restlessly thought of getting up… or not… until the words of this
hymn’s title providentially entered my mind… “Be with me Lord.” Soon, I
was mentally reading the hymn. My mind sang each verse, and before long
the anxiety was providentially gone.
Most of you are thinking: “sounds like the trials of an old man”… of which I
am steadily becoming more firmly qualified. We read in Psalm 90 about
the brevity of life: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten;
and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength
labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” I’m in the “by
strength” years and doing reasonably well. Perhaps you can relate, if not
now, your passing of years may someday bring similar trials.
But thank God… we are not alone in this life! We have our loved ones, and
we serve a God who cares and provides for us in our earthly days. The
scriptures that speak to God’s love of us and His protection are many and
comforting. No matter where you are in life, you will suffer troubles. As
Christians, however, we do not face life alone. We are never alone!
Our God loves us and provides strength and protection throughout life. We
see this in Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble.” This was true back in the days of David and still for us today.
Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie
down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores
my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou
prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anoints
my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of
the Lord for ever.
This psalm has been with me most all of my days. Somewhere in my youth
we studied it in “Sunday School,” as we called it then. Even at a young age,
it is easy to understand and apply to self when feeling weak and threatened.
Psalm 18 2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my
God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my
salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy
to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
From the writings of Matt Bassford, who recently passed away, we see his
strength and trust in God Almighty. Though he was afflicted with a
dreadful disease, his mind and heart were in God’s mighty hand. Let Matt
and his faith be a life lesson to us all!
In conclusion, take God’s promises and the message I share into your heart.
When I am challenged by life now or in future days, I will silently sing “Be
With Me Lord,” and I will be calmed! For I know that He is with me! With
God on your side, who can be against you?
Danny Pickett
