Merle Haggard One Day At A Time (gospel Song) [Quick - 2025]

It was written by Marijohn Wilkin and Kris Kristofferson in 1973.

Watch Merle Haggard's moving performance of this gospel classic: Merle Haggard - One Day At A Time (1981) Stone Cold Country YouTube• Apr 13, 2022

It reflects the biblical wisdom of Matthew 6:34 , which advises against worrying about tomorrow, as "yesterday's gone" and "tomorrow may never be mine". Merle Haggard One Day At A Time (Gospel Song)

First recorded by Marilyn Sellars in 1974, it won the Dove Award for Song of the Year in 1975. Cristy Lane later took the song to #1 on the Billboard country charts in 1980. Merle Haggard's Version

While many associate it with "The Hag," the song has a powerful backstory rooted in the struggles of its original co-writer: It was written by Marijohn Wilkin and Kris

The second verse contrasts Jesus’ time on earth with the modern world, which the singer describes as "worse now than then," filled with "pushing and shoving" that crowds the mind. The Story Behind the Song

Wilkin wrote the chorus during a period of intense personal despair, struggling with alcoholism and depression. After a minister suggested she "thank God for [her] problems," she went home and the chorus flowed out as a prayer at her piano. Cristy Lane later took the song to #1

The lyrics are framed as a direct prayer to "sweet Jesus," asking for the strength to face life's challenges one step at a time.