Sometimes By Step

Rich Mullins and Beaker

Compiled from discussions between July 5, 1999 and July 12, 1999 on the Rich Mullins Discussion Zone

Contributors: Sharon, Anne-Marie Feliciano, Tim Loyd, Annie Raper, Rene Salvatore, Tammy Schroeder, Brian Smith, Shelley T, Chip Webb, Brian William

"Sometimes By Step" has become one of Rich and Beaker's most loved songs over the years, sung in countless worship services throughout the world. From the enthusiasm generated by our discussion of the song, it's clear that it is one of our favorites as well.

Although the song is quite short, the lyrics are extremely dense in meaning and significance as the variety and depth of our discussion indicates. It is a song about assurance, hope, grace, guidance, Creation, spiritual journey, worship, and much more.

During times of trouble, the lyrics offer the assurance that God has not abandoned us and will always be present to lift us up again. "I may falter in my steps, but never beyond Your reach." As one of us noted, the song reminds us that all of God's people have gone through their own trials and their own struggles, and it also reminds us that through it all, God was with each and everyone of them, and that he will be with us as well. Although we may feel a great deal of the time that we stumble and fall, we are never far from the reach of the Almighty.

The word 'reach' itself emphasizes the closeness of God, for not only are we being lifted up and set straight again, it is the very hand of God that is doing the lifting. It shows that God is not only providing us encouragement or support from afar, but is involved in our lives in a very intimate relationship as well. As long as we continue to rely on God, we will never be separated from Him. When we fall, we do not rise again on our own power or strength. It is because of His mighty power that we are able to move forward. Knowing this helps us to depend less on self and more on Him. It also reminds us that even if we feel alone, truly we are not. We are never alone and we will never be alone, for as long as we follow the path God leads us on. And finally, as one person wrote, "I am always in the safety of his hands and not only does that thought humble me, yet it brings me comfort as well."

One of the themes that seems to be present in much of Rich's music is the journey. From "Land of My Sojourn" to "Home" to "Elijah" to "What Susan Said", there is a definite sense of the spiritual life being a journey home. Several of us recognized this theme in "Sometimes By Step" as well, with references in the lyrics to the 'road to righteousness', learning to 'walk in Your ways', the vow to 'follow You all of my days', the "climb" in the second verse which shows the struggle of our walks with God, etc.

This song symbolizes our wanderings "on this road to righteousness," where we must seek Him in the morning, and learn to walk in His ways, daily, and follow Him step by step, in faith and obedience. As God promised through the prophet Isaiah, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" (Isaiah 30:21) The lyrics also help us to continue on walking on Gods path, when Satan's attacks have been moving in from every direction. There is so much He's already done on the cross (given us eternal life and a new heart), but there's still so much left to do to conquer our old sin nature until we reach the true Promised Land.

One person compared the verses to the Israelites wandering in the desert toward the Promised Land and referring to the promise God gave Moses in Deuteronomy 11:24: "Every place where you set your foot will be yours..." and that He gave again to Joshua in Joshua 1:3: "I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses." God had given them the land (so much You'd already done), but they had to conquer it by faith and obedience (there was so much work left to do).

The song also serves as a reminder of God's redeeming grace. In spite of our own struggles and inadequacy, Rich says in so many different ways here that no matter how much we screw up or fail to measure up to the standard which we so self-righteously impose upon ourselves, God is still ready to pick us up, dust us off, and send us back in the right direction. As one person shared in a personal statement, "There have been so many times, that I have felt ashamed and felt as if I am a dissapointment to God, because I fall so often and yet this song reminds me that falling does not cause him to love me any less, if anything, it is an opportunity for He and I to draw closer."

We also mentioned the references in the lyrics to the Creation. One person wrote, "One of my favorite things about Rich's style is how he decribes creation as the setting for worship. It is the perfect sanctuary." They then added, "He seems to be driving at some frustration with it though. How we want to touch the night sky, but the morning came to soon, the sky was so far away (our human weaknesses and limitations) and ending with 'but so much You've already done' to show that it was God that makes up all the difference and has been doing all this good all along." Another echoed these sentiments, writing that the first verse compared nature to our lives.

One person also noted some of the contrasts present in the song. The contrasts come between the first half of each verse and the second half of each one - the first half of each verse generally focuses on the positives, while the second half adds the corresponding negatives. In verse 1, we have a contrast between the night, when we experience God through creation, and day, a time of toil and sweat in our jobs, which we may not connect with God. In contrast, the "climb" in the second half of the second verse shows the struggle of our walks with God; it arguably parallels the second half of verse 1 and can be associated with the day, although Rich never states this. Contemplation and peace with God vs. struggle in the daily walk is the subject of verse 2. In the end, the times when we meet with God should stay longer in our minds than the struggles we face, as evidenced by the repetition of "Sometimes the night was beautiful" during the closing moments of the song and the reprise of it later on the album.

Several people commented about the reference to Abraham. As one wrote, "For me, the heart of this song has always been 'Sometimes I think of Abraham/How one star he saw had been lit for me.' Without the aid of this song, how many of us would think that God lit a star for each one of us as individuals on that night when he took Abraham outside?" Another suggested Romans 9:8 as a relevant verse: "It is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring." We are a part of that promise - trophies of Grace! I identify with that every time I hear this verse. Our "road to righteousness" can be hard, and we may fail, but God will always catch us.

The chorus was written by Beaker and really defines the focus that the verses are built around. While the verses are a testimony - Man to Man - the chorus is pure worship - Man to God. As one person described it, "The chorus of this song always brings me into a mind of total praise and worship. It helps me to release all the other things going on in my mind and committ my full mind and spirit on the awesome love of God." Another wrote, "The chorus brings everything together, showing us what our attitude should be whether it is night or day, whether we are close to God or toiling at work or in our walks." We also noted that it is important to praise God even when we're in the midst of 'stumbling in our steps' in addition to the thanksgiving we give after we have been lifted up from our fall. The song is another reminder to acknowledge our need for God regardless of the circumstance. We always see that need when things are bad, but sometimes we forget to thank Him when things are going well. "And I will ever praise You".

Throughout it all, it was evident that this is a very personal song for a number of people. Each of us could identify ways in which it had a deep personal meaning and had impacted us the way few songs do. One person related her experience in being laid off from her job, writing that the words kept running through her mind, "'Oh God, You are My God, and I will ever praise You.' She wrote, "Although I couldn't actually give voice to those words because I was too busy bawling, thinking them released a wide scope of promises and praises - 'My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus Our Lord', 'All things work together for good for them that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose', and many more. And the thing that is so wonderful about that is this: a year before, I would have been shaking my fist at heaven, saying 'Why, God? Why did You do this to me?!' Instead I was singing praises and saying, 'Wow, God. I don't know how You're gonna get me through this, but I'm excited to see what You're gonna do.'"

Others wrote similarly powerful words about "Sometimes By Step": "This song is one that I turn to when I am lonely and when I feel discouraged and afraid and yet it is also a song that I turn to when I want to just lift up pure and unadulterated praises to the Lord of my Life and the King who rules over my heart." Another described it, "One of the most emotional songs Rich ever did, almost raw, and straight from the inner turmoil he sometimes felt. What a great way of saying what we all feel." Another described it as poetry: "I am a creative writing major and a student of poetry; the poetry of Rich's music is what makes it special to me." One person wrote that the lyrics were the first thing to run through their mind after hearing the news of Rich's death: "There was so much work left to do, but so much you'd already done." It was clear that the contributors to the discussion felt a passion about this song that was very meaningful to each of us.



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