Rev. James Cleveland - God Is Lyrics
Lyrics
Verse 1:
God is my protection.
God is my all in all.
God is my guide and direction.
God is my all in all.
Verse 2:
God is my joy in time of sorrow.
God is my all in all.
God is my today and tomorrow.
God is my all in all.
Chorus:
God is the joy and
the strength of my life,
He moves all pain, misery, and strife.
He promised to keep me,
never to leave me.
He's never ever come short of His word.
I've got to fast and pray,
stay in His narrow way,
I've got to keep my life clean everyday;
I want to go with Him when He comes back,
I've come to far and I'll never turn back.
God is (8x),
God is my all in all.
Video
"God Is" (1979)- Rev. James Cleveland
Meaning & Inspiration
I was listening to James Cleveland sing about how God is his all in all, and it just hits you, doesn't it? The way he talks about God being his strength and his joy—it makes me think of those verses in Psalms where the writers are constantly calling God their rock and their fortress. It’s grounded in that same idea of total dependency. When he sings about God being his guide and direction, it feels like he’s leaning into that promise that we’re never left to navigate things alone. But then there’s that shift in the chorus, where he talks about needing to fast and pray and keep his life clean to go with Him when He comes back. I find myself wrestling with that part. I know Scripture says we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, but sometimes I wonder if the weight of keeping my life clean everyday overshadows the fact that it's His grace doing the heavy lifting. James is clearly calling back to the idea of the narrow way, and I get that, because the path isn't supposed to be easy, but I have to wonder if I’m trying to add my own strength to a finish line that was already crossed for me. It’s a bit jarring to move from the total security of God being your everything to the pressure of making sure you don't turn back, like it’s all sitting on your shoulders. Yet, I can’t argue with him when he says God has never come short of His word. That part sticks in my gut because I know it’s true, even when my own life feels like it’s coming apart at the seams. I’m just left wondering if I’m resting in that promise enough, or if I’m just trying to run the race in my own power.