By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
In 2015, a Nigerian female gospel singer by the name of Sinach (pronounced Sin ́-atch) was on a long flight from the States back to Africa, which gave her plenty of time to inwardly wrestle with God about the story of Abram before he became Abraham. She knew she was being called out of her emotional and spiritual comfort zone into an unknown place, and it was on that plane that He assured her that He was the Way Maker and the Promise Keeper. It was also on that flight that she wrote “Waymaker,” and recorded it when she got home. Sinach went on to top playlists and win several awards, and as of a year ago, it had 150 million hits. In ways she was surprised by what happened, and in ways the impact was something consistent with things she had experienced between her and her Lord when she was a little girl in an unsettled nation.
By 2020, the song “Waymaker” had become a “surthrivor” song as we faced a weird global pandemic, and the song had virally circled the globe. People gathered in parking lots outside of hospitals and sang it. Italians on their balconies sang it, as did Koreans, Brazilians, and more than 50 language versions showed up on YouTube while people were hunkered down riding out this strange pestilence. Korean kids did an unplugged version, there is a reggae version, and prior to the lockdown, there were versions sung with thousands in the room at once.
Michael W. Smith had a number one hit version of the song, and he sang it at his drive-in concert in Nashville last year. He also recorded it in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Forbes Magazine wrote an article about Smith’s cover entitled, “Michael W. Smith’s Cover Of ‘Waymaker’ Becomes the Go-To Comfort Song In A Global Pandemic.” The Pentecostals of Alexandria did an 11-minute version, and you need to see the passion with which the female drummer fulfills Psalm 150. It is a sight to behold. Here are the lyrics, and I would encourage you to find the version that most lifts your spirits into a place of worship, and then get after it.
Waymaker
Verse: 1.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
Chorus:
And You are Way maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness My God, that is who You are
Vs 2.You are here, turning lives around/ I worship You, I worship You
You are here, healing every heart/I worship You, I worship You
Chorus: several times
Bridge:
Even when I don’t see it, You’re workin’/Even when I don’t feel it, You’re workin’
You never stop, You never stop workin’/You never stop, You never stop workin’
Chorus and bridge until you are finished reminding yourself of who He is, and loving Him for it. And remember, even when you don’t see it or feel it, He’s workin’. He never stops, He never stops workin.’ He can’t help Himself!
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
December 20, 2024
