The song continued to be a highlight of Preston 's concert performances . In a report for '' Blues & Soul '' on the London press launch for '' I Wrote a Simple Song '' , David Nathan wrote : " No Preston show would be complete without his British hit , ' That 's The Way God Planned It ' … " Nathan remarked of this song and Preston 's cover of the Harrison-written " My Sweet Lord " : " Billy Preston is one of the very few artists who manage to draw out all the power of gospel music and pour it into their stage performance , and religious beliefs completely transcend the whole impact of his work … " A regular keyboard player with the Rolling Stones during the 1970s , Preston included " That 's the Way God Planned It " in his solo spot on the band 's 1973 European tour . Among his backing musicians , collectively titled " the God Squad " , was Mick Taylor , the Rolling Stones ' lead guitarist . Although it did not appear on Preston 's '' Live European Tour '' album , released the following year , a live version of the song was included on A&M Japan 's 2002 reissue of that album
1973 European tour
The Rolling Stones European Tour 1973
That's the Way God Planned It (song)