It's unfortunate that "Hiding in Thee" and other hymns by William O. Cushing and Ira Sankey, two heavyweights in the world of hymnology, are not as well known today as they once were. Cushing wrote about 300 hymns including
Under His Wings" (1896), another of my favorites, which Sankey also co-wrote.
In 1871, Sankey barely escaped the Chicago Fire by rowing a boat out into Lake Michigan. The bulk of his hymn-writing came afterwards.