Lyrics
Verse 1
How did I make it all these years?
How did I make it this far?
Through the valleys and over the hills,
I know it had to be God.
How did I make it through the storm?
How did I make it through the rain?
If you want to know, just how I got here, it's so easy to explain.
Chorus
It was God's grace [4x]
(God's grace) [4x]
I made it this far.
(I made it this far)
(By the grace of God)
God's grace [2x]
(God's grace) [2x]
It was God's grace.
(God's grace)
His amazing grace.
(God's grace)
I made it this far.
(I made it this far)
(By the grace of God.)
Verse 2
Lord, I thank you for how you brought me,
How you brought me through the night.
Lord, you kept me and you never left me,
You stood by my side.
There were so many times when I came so close,
Old man death he tried to take me in,
So the reason I'm here,
It's not hard for me to see,
In fact, it so easy for me to explain.
Chorus
It was God's grace [4x]
(God's grace) [4x]
Oh, I made it this far,
(I made it this far)
Yes I did.
(By the grace of God)
Verse 3
I remember the times when I strayed away,
Even though I knew the word,
Still I wouldn't obey,
But God's mercy and his grace stayed with me and brought me, brought me all the way.
Chorus
God's grace [3x]
(God's grace) [3x]
His Amazing grace.
(God's grace)
I made it this far.
(I made it this far)
I made it.
By the grace of God.
Bridge
Anybody want to know
(God's grace)
Just how I got here
(God's grace)
Anybody want to know
(God's grace)
How I'm still standing.
(God's grace)
Oh, I made it
(I made it this far)
Yes I made it.
(By the grace of God)
Verse 4
Some people said,
(God's grace)
They said I wouldn't make it
(God's grace)
Some people said
(God's grace)
I wouldn't be here today
(God's grace)
But Look at me,
Look at me
(I made it this far)
I made it - yes
By the the Grace of God.
Verse 5
When I sit down and look back,
(God's grace)
Down through the years,
(God's grace)
I have to shed
(God's grace)
So many tears.
(God's grace)
But I made it,
(I made it this far)
I made it this far,
By the Grace of God.
Outro
And I thank you,
(God's grace)
Thank you Jesus,
(God's grace)
Lord I thank you,
(God's grace)
Thank you right now Jesus,
(God's grace)
I made it,
(I made it this far)
I made it
By the grace of God.
Yes...
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
“God’s Grace” by Luther Barnes is a testimony song that answers one question again and again: “How did I make it all these years?” The reply is the refrain, “It was God’s grace,” sung in call and response with the echo “I made it this far… by the grace of God.” The verses give the evidence, listing the valleys and hills, the storms and rain, and the nights when God kept the singer and never left.
The second half admits failure as well as rescue. The singer recalls times of straying even while knowing the word, and says God’s mercy and grace stayed close and brought them all the way. Later passages mention people who said the singer would not make it, and the tears shed over the years, yet the answer stays the same.
That message is close to 1 Corinthians 15:10, “by the grace of God I am what I am,” and to Ephesians 2:8, which says salvation is by grace. The song is simple and repetitive, built so a congregation can answer back and give thanks together.
Related Scripture
- 1 Corinthians 15:10 “By the grace of God I am what I am”
- Ephesians 2:8 Saved by grace through faith
- Psalm 23:4 God’s presence through the valley