Lyrics
Verse 1
As the deer pants for the water
My soul longs for You God
In a dry and weary desert
Your spirit is enough
Pre-Chorus
There’s something ‘bout the presence
Of the Lord
To be with You forever
Is all I want
Chorus
I’d trade a thousand years
Any time any place
For just a day in Your courts
Just a day in Your courts
Every earthly gain
I would throw it away
For just a day with the Lord
Just a day with the Lord
Verse 2
God I’m longing just to know You
For who You say You are
In the waiting
I will listen
Take this offering of my heart
Pre-Chorus
Something about the presence
Of the Lord
To be with You forever
Is all I want
Chorus
I’d trade a thousand years
Any time any place
For just a day in Your courts
Just a day in Your courts
Every earthly gain
I would throw it away
For just a day with the Lord
Just a day with the Lord
For just a day with the Lord
Bridge (x4)
If all I had was You Lord
That would be enough
That would be enough
Chorus
I’d trade a thousand years
Any time any place
For just a day in Your courts
Just a day in Your courts
Every earthly gain
I would throw it away
For just a day with the Lord
Just a day with the Lord
Bridge (x2)
If all I had was You Lord
That would be enough
That would be enough
Chorus
I’d trade a thousand years
Any time any place
For just a day in Your courts
Just a day in Your courts
Every earthly gain
I would throw it away
For just a day with the Lord
Just a day with the Lord
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
A Day with the Lord presents God’s presence as more desirable than time, achievement, or earthly reward. The opening image of a deer longing for water closely echoes Psalm 42, giving the song the language of spiritual thirst. Dryness and waiting are not treated as proof of abandonment. They become places for listening, offering the heart, and trusting that God remains enough.
The chorus develops the imagery of Psalm 84:10, where one day in God’s courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. By setting a single day with the Lord against every earthly gain, the lyric describes worship as an act of reordered desire. The repeated declaration that God alone would be enough strengthens that theme of surrender. Rather than asking first for changed circumstances, the song seeks knowledge of God and lasting nearness to him. Its repetitions function like a sustained prayer, returning to the same confession until it becomes the song’s center: divine presence is not merely one blessing among many, but the treasure for which everything else can be released.
Related Scripture
- Psalm 42:1-2 The psalm compares longing for God to a deer panting for water.
- Psalm 84:10 The psalm says one day in God’s courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
- Psalm 63:1 The psalm describes thirsting for God in a dry and weary land.