One song can change your life. One song can change the world. In the case of one Nigerian girl, it took one song. Just one song. A song called Way Maker. A song that made me cry and made God cry too. Believe me it did! A song that has become a global worship anthem.
From Nigeria to India to America to the ends of the earth, everyone is singing Way Maker, a powerful song reintroducing and re-presenting God to the world in a way that one million sermons cannot do. I love the words of an African-American preacher and singer who commented thus while doing a cover version of this song: “There comes a moment in every generation when the Lord will reintroduce Himself and amplify His message. He says to Moses: ‘Tell the people that ‘I am that I am.’ Tell them ‘I am your Father, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’”
This is one such moment with Sinach Joseph giving the world a song defining God as “Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are.”
How, when and where did I first hear this song? I was returning from my morning jogging four years ago when I heard this song filtering from a record-seller’s shop. Like Saul of Tarsus on Damascus Road struck by the vision of God, I was transfixed. I dashed into the record shop and enquired about the song. I wanted to know who the singer was. I had never heard a worship song so awesome, so powerful, so lyrical, so melodious as to fill me with a sense of worship. I bought the CD instantly. I thought it was the work of one of those African- American Gospel singers but miraculously it turned out to be the work of a Nigerian, the sound of a Nigerian, the voice of a Nigerian. A Nigerian girl by name Osinachi Joseph Egbu, professionally called Sinach, from Afikpo in Ebonyi State. I fell in love with her amazing, powerful voice instantly.
I said to myself: So something this good can come from Africa, from Nigeria, my Nigeria! I felt so proud. I stood so tall. Ever since, it has been my favourite worship song. How many times have I listened to this song? I can’t count. You can multiply 365 days by four to get the number of times I have listened to this award-winning song topping the chart in America and Europe, a song that has become church anthems globally.
I once watched Sinach on stage during Dele Momodu’s Ovation Carol Night Concert and it was such a heavenly experience. I have listened to various cover versions of the song but there is nothing like the original. Today, I bring you the words of the Gospel superstar, Sinach on what she felt when God gave her the wonderful song whose light has brightened every dark corner of this world ravaged now by COVID-19. Even in these troubled times, God is still our God, healing every heart. Now, listen to the testimony of Sinach, how God gave her this wonder song. I also bring you the lyrics of Way Maker. May God heal our troubled land bedeviled by hostage takers and so much trouble!
***
‘FROM AFRICA, I’M TOUCHING THE WORLD’
No way did I imagine God will take me this far through this song: Way Maker. Because I have been writing songs for a long time. I have catalogues and catalogues of songs. When we were singing some of the songs, they were making a lot of waves. But this one was different. I guess when the Lord wants to introduce you differently, He does His thing His own way. And you never know which one He would take. This song came out of the blues.
There is a story behind the song. I always tell people success is in levels. You go from one level of success to the other. Here I was, after so much, I had done so much. And then, it was time. That time that you move over to another level of success. So there is a bit of a gap. Sometimes you don’t know. You ask yourself: What am I supposed to be doing? So it took a while. It was a swift change in season. Of course, I felt like a fish out of water. The Lord was pulling me towards that area. Sometimes the Lord wants to shut this door and open another door. And you are like: “I want to stay in the comfort zone.” So I was in that place. And I got really nervous. It was a period I had to really latch into His presence and really seek His face. And then He began to tell me something. He told me that when He called Abraham, He told him to leave his people, his comfort zone. He didn’t even explain everything. And He said to him: “I will make you famous. I will make you great.” All that promises. It was just the promise. The Bible said Abraham believed God. He didn’t even know where he was going but he started the journey. And that’s when the Lord gave me that song. He said: “Osi, I am your way maker and that promise keeper. I said I am gonna do it, I am gonna do it.” So it was a personal revelation to me. He said: “My word will bring light to every dark situation.” And of course, He works miracles. He works miracles. The greater truth is that we are miracle workers but He works miracle. He is the Chief Miracle Worker. That’s how the song came up. And it was such a drama. So we put it on YouTube and boom! It just went. My story is that I am doing what I am doing. From Africa, I am touching the whole world which has never been done before.
Way Maker
You are here, moving in our midst
I worship you
I worship you
You are here, working in this place
I worship you
I worship you
You are here, moving in our midst
I worship you
I worship you
You are here, working in this place
I worship you
I worship you
Way maker, Miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness, my God
That is who you are
Way maker, Miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness, my God
That is who you are
You are here, touching every heart
I worship you
I worship you
You are here, healing every heart
I worship you
I worship you
You are here, turning lives around
I worship you
I worship you
You are here, mending every heart
I worship you
I worship you
Way maker, Miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
That is who you are
Way maker…