Lord Keep Me Day By Day

Albertina Walker, a longtime figure in Chicago gospel, sings “Lord Keep Me Day By Day” as a short traveler's prayer. The first request is for daily care: “Lord, keep me day by day in a pure and perfect way.” The reason for the request comes right after it, that the singer wants to live on “in a building not made by hand,” which is how the song names heaven without ever using the word.

The second verse puts the singer on the road. “I'm just a stranger here, traveling through this barren land” says the earth is not home, and the next line shows the confidence behind it: “Lord, I know there's a building somewhere.” The last request is practical, “keep my body strong so that I can do no wrong,” and “give me grace just to run this Christian race.” The lyrics are brief, which leaves room for the long, improvised vocals the genre is known for.

The building not made with hands is 2 Corinthians 5:1, where an earthly tent gives way to an eternal house in heaven. Being a stranger passing through matches Hebrews 11:13, and the race recalls Hebrews 12:1, which urges believers to run with endurance.