Lyrical Review: Conqueror by Joyce Omondi

Many are the times when I’ve sat down to write on the beauty of the Gospel only to find that the news in my Gospel doesn’t sound so good. Even more are the times I have written about the freedom that we have in Christ, only to find myself complicating the freedom and making it sound like just another jail-cell within the same prison.

At such times, I usually stop and ask what it is I am missing. What’s wrong? If what I am writing about is the greatest news on earth, shouldn’t there be a little more excitement in my verbs and a little more exultation in my adjectives? Why the grave tone? Why the sad fonts?

That’s when it hits me, some joys cannot be contained in carefully constructed sentences that are afraid of offending people. I should be dancing unashamedly like David. I should be singing, not mulling. I should be praising, not prodding. I should be doing what Joyce Omondi does so well in her song, Conqueror.

It is a simple song that celebrates the victory that believers have in Christ. The first verse begins by providing what can only be described as a glimpse or a brief prelude of a night of tears. But this is quickly replaced and righted by a message of hope:

By His name, victory is mine…

I wept all night but here am trading my sorrows for joy.

You name’s a tower, strong, I run to and there, I am saved.

There’s a brighter day, I am certain everything will be okay.

Because my God I know, will make a way.

The chorus is just as straightforward as the first verse. It is a celebration of the victory that we have in the saving work of Jesus Christ. The victory is almost paradoxical. It is Jesus who conquered, yet, we are also conquerors, because we are in Him:

Conqueror! Conqueror! Conqueror!

He whom the son sets free is free indeed, oh wow, woah… (the battle is won)

I am a conqueror, conqueror, conqueror,

With Christ my savior, my Jesus, yeah yeah… (victory is mine)

The second verse completes the message of the first by acknowledging (and claiming) all the benefits that come with having Jesus as our savior. We are not only saved from destruction, but we are also saved unto glorification (spiritual prosperity). Whatever the enemy stole from us, we can now take back through Christ:

Am taking back, all the enemy’s stolen,

If God be for me who can stand against me,

I am bolder, stronger, I have a soldier,

Yahweh has conquered death and the grave,

So here I am, to claim my inheritance. Yeah, yeah…

What struck me most about the (above) second verse was Joyce’s choice of words in the third line. She says that she is bolder, she is stronger, she “has” a soldier. I don’t know if it’s just me, but the choice of “has” instead of “is” communicates a lot. The reason that she is bold and strong is not essentially because she has courage and strength, but because she has a Soldier. She has Christ, and so do we. His courage makes us bold, His strength makes us strong.

This choice of words is helpful to me because it reminds me not to delude myself that I have some mystical boldness and strength within me (apart from Christ), instead what I need to do is remind myself that I have Christ. He fights my battles for me. I fight my battles through Him.

The rest of the song, the bridge and the final chorus, basically reinforces the spirit of praise and the attitude of worship that permeates the whole song: “we are more than conquerors through Christ, who loved us.” (Romans 8:37):

He died upon the cross, He died upon the cross, for the price that He paid for mine…

Over and over again, in Your name I have the victory,

I lift my hands, and sing hallelujah to the lamb,

I lift my hands and sing…

Hallelujah (freedom is mine)

I’ll ride on eagles’ wings (victory is mine)

I can do all he says I can (freedom is mine)

I’ll ride on eagles’ wings (victory is mine)

I am a conqueror…

It is safe to say that this song accurately illustrates the progression of every believer’s soul in the midst of tough and hard times. At first, there is the realization of one’s fickleness, which is followed by weeping and mourning. Then the revelation (or remembrance) of the Cross and the freedom purchased by Christ rightly leads to praise and thanksgiving.

Finally, we are left celebrating the victory of Christ over sin and death. Thank you Joyce Omondi, for reminding us that he whom the Son sets free is free indeed, and that with Christ as our savior, we are conquerors indeed!

And yes, the video production was awesome, and I am singing along to the beautiful tune of the song 🙂

For the fame of His name,

Cornell