For a long time, it seemed like this song didn't want to be written. I wrote the chorus right on the heels of my first-ever Christian song, "My Eyes Are Ever on You." I thought enough of the chorus that I was determined to come up with verses that were of comparable quality. They just wouldn't come, even as I switched back and forth between singing *about* God ("only by His mercy") and singing *to* God ("only by Your mercy"). For a good six or seven months, I would try out an idea, reject it, leave the song alone for a while and then repeat the process. Nothing came of it.
Ultimately, my patience paid off. I have no insight whatsoever into what "clicked" or what changed but one day, driving to work, I came up with the "if you ask me 'bout my savior" line. After that, the verses nearly wrote themselves. As I prepared to use this as "special music" in a service some time later, I added the instrumental bridge and another chorus repeat.
This song is one of my personal favorites of what I've written.