"I Saw God Today" is the title of a song written by Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell and Wade Kirby. It was recorded by American country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 artist George Strait

George Strait

George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...

 and released in February 2008 as the lead single from his album Troubadour

Troubadour (George Strait album)

Troubadour is the title of the 25th studio album by American country music singer George Strait. It was released on April 1, 2008 on MCA Nashville Records. The album comprises twelve tracks, including two duets...

. The song debuted at #19 on the Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

 chart, giving Strait the highest chart debut of his career, as well as his 43rd Billboard Number One.

The song is part of the tracklist for Now That's What I Call Country

Now That's What I Call Country

Now That's What I Call Country is a country music compilation album released on August 26, 2008. The album is the first in the Now! series to be composed exclusively of country music tracks...

. "I Saw God Today" won Single of the Year at the 2008 CMA Awards.

Content

The song is a mid-tempo ballad in which the lead character is walking down the sidewalk after his wife has just had a baby, meanwhile noticing such things as a flower growing out of a crack in the sidewalk, and a couple who are expecting a baby. Finally, the song ends with the central character in the nursery of a hospital, looking at his own newborn baby girl. He cites each thing that he sees along the way — the flower, the couple, and his newborn daughter — as examples of how he saw God that day.

Reception

Matt C., a critic for The 9513, gave "I Saw God Today" a thumbs-up rating. He said that although it was "similar to the [songs] that countless failed nineties hat acts used to 'launch' their short careers", that Strait's vocal performance nonetheless "makes the song listenable and the country pop lyric's contrast to the country-western material that comprises much of Strait's catalog actually makes this single more memorable than some stronger songs in his hits catalog."

Chart performance

Having reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts dated for the week of May 3, 2008, "I Saw God Today" is Strait's 43rd Billboard Number One hit. Counting the Number Ones that he has had on other U.S. trade charts (Mediabase

Mediabase

Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...

, Radio & Records

Radio & Records

Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...

before its merger with Billboard, and Gavin Report

Gavin Report

The Gavin Report was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs...

), "I Saw God Today" is Strait's 56th overall Number One hit, succeeding a record previously held by Conway Twitty

Conway Twitty

Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...

 for the most Number Ones by any country music artist.

Chart (2008)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	33
U.S. Billboard Pop 100	65
Canadian Billboard Hot 100	60

End of year chart (2008)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs	2

Awards

The song was nominated for a Dove Award for Country Recorded Song of the Year at the 40th GMA Dove Awards.