Lyrics
Verse 1
I'm only human, I'm just a man
Lord, Help me believe in what
I could be and all that I am
Show me the stairway,
I have to climb
Lord for my sake,
Teach me to take
One day at a time
Chorus
One day at a time sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking from you
Just give me the strength
To do everyday what I have to do
Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Lord help me today, show me the way
One day at a time
Verse 2
Do you remember,
When you walked among men
Well Jesus you know
If you're looking below
It's worse now, than then
There's pushing and shouting,
That's crowded my mind
So for my sake,
Teach me to take
One day at a time
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"One Day at a Time" opens with blunt self-description, naming human limitation directly before asking for help believing in potential still unrealized. That honest admission of smallness frames the entire hymn around dependence on daily, granted strength rather than confident self-sufficiency.
Its chorus names a specific, limited request, strength for one day rather than for an entire uncertain future, admitting that yesterday is already gone and tomorrow remains unguaranteed. That narrowed scope, present day only, grounds the hymn's prayer in manageable, immediate need rather than overwhelming, distant concern.
Rooted in gospel and country hymn tradition, the hymn functions as an extended prayer for daily sufficient strength, its second verse addressing Jesus directly about having once walked among people, naming present chaos and crowded thoughts as reasons that same daily teaching remains just as necessary now as ever.
Related Scripture
- Matthew 6:34 Instructs not worrying about tomorrow since each day has enough trouble of its own, directly echoed in the hymn's focus on one day at a time.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 Describes mercies new every morning, echoed in the hymn's request for daily, renewed strength.