YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW written in 1972
The Story
This song, both the words and the music, were written by Don Wyrtzen. But, there is a story behind why Don’s father, Jack, is actually credited with writing the words. Jack Wyrtzen began the Word of Life youth outreach with conference and school facilities in Schroon Lake, New York, as well as missionary outreaches around the world.
One day, Jack’s son, Don, who was well-known as a composer, saw an outline of a sermon his father had preached. The title of the sermon was, “Three Days in the Life of the Christian”. Don developed this song based on that sermon, and then put his father’s name down as the author. But Jack said all the credit should go to his son, Don. Jack said, “Don developed the theme. I don’t really know why he put my name on it. I think when we get to Heaven, the Lord will give him credit for the entire hymn.”
Maybe it could be said that yesterday Jack preached the sermon, today Don wrote the hymn, and tomorrow the Lord will give Don the credit. Or maybe not. We do know that yesterday Christ died for us… today He lives for us… and tomorrow He will come again for us.
The Song
Read this hymn, and – today – make all 3 of these days a part of your day.
Yesterday He died for me, yesterday, yesterday;
yesterday, He died for me, yesterday.
Yesterday He died for me, died for me…
this is history.
Today He lives for me, today, today;
today, He lives for me, today.
Today He lives for me, lives for me…
this is victory.
Tomorrow He comes for me, He comes, He comes;
Tomorrow, He comes for me, He comes.
Tomorrow He comes for me, comes for me…
this is mystery.
O friend, do you know Him, know Him, know Him?
O friend, do you know Him, know Him?
O friend, do you know Him, do you know Him?
Jesus Christ the Lord! Jesus Christ the Lord! Jesus Christ the Lord!
TheScottSpot 
It’s a beautiful song. I have an arrangement crediting both father and son copyright 1966 by Singspiration!
I don’t know who actually wrote this song…But…we were singing this song at Christian camp when I was a teen (Prior to 1976, which was when I graduated high school) (It was definitely prior to 1976 because I stopped going to camp prior to high school. Four years prior to 1976. So any time 1973 or prior really). We sung it at camp in Northern California. At that time we either didn’t sing the last verse or there was no last verse. (Just Yesterday…, Today…, Tomorrow…). I have kept singing it over the years. Thank you. (I don’t have any proof on paper, & we want to glorify God, so I guess it really doesn’t matter who wrote it). I looked it up on youtube from me remembering the words.
I think you are correct about the date being wrong. Someone else has commented that it should be dated back to 1966… with Singspiration.
I sang “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” one summer in 1974 while visiting my cousin in Anderson, SC, during a Revival at her church. The words and melody always stuck with me, and I continued to sing this piece when I attended Nursing school at USC. I am totally confused by the date 1980, given as the time the song was written.
I’m sure you are correct about the earlier date… and I’ve changed it to reflect when I think it was written. The previous later date must have been the date it was included in a hymnal. I, too, remember singing this song in youth choir in the mid 70s. Thanks for reading!
I was a lifeguard on the beach at the Word of Life Schroon Lake Island camp for teenagers in the summer of 1972, and this song was sung–sometimes by the campers, a soloist, or another musical group–several times that summer. I did like it very much at the time, but had not remembered it until recently when I saw the title mentioned in something I was reading. Then the lyrics easily came back to me. However, from what I have seen in the Word, realized in my experience with the Lord, and now know to be absolutely true, we all should make a small change in the second verse and sing, “Today He lives IN me, IN me!” based on the wonderful verse in Colossians 1:27 which says, ‘Christ IN you, the hope of glory.” I Corinthians 15:45b says clearly that the last Adam (referring to Christ) became a life-giving Spirit. When you believe in the Lord, He as this wonderful Spirit enters into your spirit, and from then on lives IN you. There, in our spirit, we must fellowship with Him daily and live according to His living and moving within us.
[…] A song by speaker and songwriter Don Wyrtzen has four verses that so well give depth to the thoughts of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The story behind this song can be found at: https://thescottspot.wordpress.com/2016/11/06/yesterday-today-and-tomorrow-written-in-1980/ […]