The LDS song commonly associated with grace in this material is “Day by Day,” a hymn about God’s gracious love, daily mercy, spiritual strength, comfort, and help through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Its central message is that the Lord remains near in both sorrow and joy, gives strength for each day, and helps believers endure until they reach the promised land.
In Latter-day Saint teaching, grace is the help or strength given through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is a gift from Heavenly Father given through His Son, Jesus Christ. The word "grace", as used in the scriptures, refers primarily to the enabling power and spiritual healing offered through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ. Grace is God’s love in action. It is His doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
“Day by Day”: lyrics about God’s grace
Day by day, God’s gracious love surrounds me
As a balm to soothe my troubled heart.
Countless cares and worries that confound me
Fade away or quietly depart,
For His heart is kind beyond all measure,
And He comforts us as He knows best.
Ev’ry day, with all its pain and pleasure,
Mingles tears with peace and rest.
The opening verse presents grace as a continuing presence rather than a single moment of assistance. God’s gracious love surrounds the believer, so it becomes “a balm” for a troubled heart. The verse also recognizes that daily life contains both pain and pleasure, while God’s comfort brings tears together with peace and rest.
Day by day, the Lord is ever near me,
Granting loving mercies for each hour,
And my care He gladly bears, and cheers me
With His counsel pure and holy pow’r.
I’ll not fear for what may come tomorrow,
Though the path ahead I cannot see.
He assures that in all joy or sorrow,
“As thy days, thy strength shall be.”
The second verse emphasizes hourly mercy and the Lord’s willingness to bear personal cares. It also connects grace with courage: the believer does not need to fear an unseen future because the Lord gives strength according to each day’s needs.
Help me rest in quiet consolation.
Help me trust Thy promises, O Lord.
When I’m faced with daily tribulation,
Help me find the strength to live Thy word.
Then, dear Lord, when toil and trouble find me,
Hold me steadfast in Thy pow’rful hand.
Day by day, Thy strength will bear me kindly
Till I reach the promised land.
The final verse turns the hymn into a prayer. It asks for quiet consolation, trust in divine promises, strength to live God’s word, and steadfastness when toil and trouble come. The closing image is one of being carried and sustained day by day until reaching the promised land.
Meaning of grace in the song
“Day by Day” describes grace through several related ideas: God’s love, mercy, comfort, counsel, power, strength, and sustaining presence. These themes correspond to the understanding that grace is both divine help and spiritual healing made available through Jesus Christ.
- Grace as comfort: God’s love soothes a troubled heart and helps cares fade away or quietly depart.
- Grace as daily mercy: The Lord grants loving mercies for each hour rather than offering help only in extraordinary circumstances.
- Grace as strength: The hymn promises, “As thy days, thy strength shall be,” expressing confidence that the Lord provides strength for the needs of each day.
- Grace as guidance: Divine counsel helps the believer face a path that cannot yet be seen.
- Grace as enabling power: The Lord helps the believer find the strength to live His word.
- Grace as spiritual preservation: God’s power holds the believer steadfast through toil and trouble.
The hymn therefore presents grace as active and personal. It is not described only as forgiveness after failure, but also as the power that comforts, guides, strengthens, heals, and helps a person continue faithfully.
Scriptural connections
The hymn is associated with Matthew 6:33-34 and Isaiah 12:2. These references reinforce its emphasis on trust, daily dependence, courage, and confidence in God’s saving power.
The words “As thy days, thy strength shall be” express the hymn’s central assurance: strength is given in accordance with the day being faced. This perspective encourages believers to meet present responsibilities with faith instead of becoming overwhelmed by an unseen tomorrow.
Hymn background
Text: Lina Sandell-Berg, 1865; English transl. Andrew L. Skoog, 1921; alt. Music: Oscar Ahnfelt, 1872; harm. Albert Lindström, 1885; alt. | BLOTT EN DAG
Text alt. © 2024 and music alt. © 1993 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. This song may be copied for incidental, noncommercial Church or home use.
Grace in LDS music and messages
This episode of Music with a Message features messages of mercy by the following artists: Mercy River; Rebecca Lopez, “Softly and Tenderly” (Album: When You Believe); Mindy Gledhill, “Garden Walls” (Album: The Sum of All Grace); Jenny Phillips, “Grace” (Album: The Miracle); Kenneth Cope, “Broken” (Album: Especially for Youth 2005, A More Excellent Way); Cherie Call, “Family Tree” (Album: Beneath These Stars); the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, “Amazing Grace” (Album: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing).
Within this broader collection of messages about mercy, “Day by Day” focuses particularly on the ordinary rhythm of discipleship. Its repeated emphasis on each day and each hour presents grace as a continuing source of help in everyday life, including worry, uncertainty, sorrow, work, temptation, and spiritual effort.
Key themes for worship and reflection
- God’s presence in daily life: The Lord is “ever near” and surrounds the believer with gracious love.
- Help during anxiety: Countless cares and worries can be brought into the reach of divine comfort.
- Faith during uncertainty: A person can continue without seeing the entire path ahead.
- Strength to obey: Grace helps believers live God’s word rather than relying only on their own ability.
- Endurance through hardship: The Lord’s strength sustains the believer through toil and trouble.
- Hope in the future: The hymn looks toward reaching the promised land while remaining focused on day-by-day faithfulness.
“Day by Day” is therefore an LDS hymn of grace in action: God comforts the troubled, bears the believer’s cares, provides counsel, grants strength, and holds the faithful steadfast through every stage of life.
