Matthew West had a No. 1 hit with “The God Who Stays,” released in 2019, and now he has a book out of the same name. The God Who Stays, West’s sixth book, is his reflection on his own faith, especially amid the challenges of the last two years, brought on by the pandemic, and how that experience shaped him in his next season of life.
“With The God Who Stays, I wrote the book that I needed,” West says. “During a time of extreme isolation when our lives were dominated by words like ‘separation,’ and ‘social distancing,’ this book served as a chapter by chapter reminder of the spiritual closeness I can experience in my life moment by moment. I laughed and I cried as I poured out my heart on these pages and I hope that all who read it will reach the end saying, ‘I needed that reminder of the God who stays too.'”
In a video posted on YouTube ahead of the book’s release, West recalls one defining moment, just as COVID-19 was beginning to impact the world, when the inspiration for his book began. West was in New Jersey on tour, in March of 2020, when he found out that his entire tour had been canceled, and the world as he knew it was changing. Rushing to get a flight home, West found himself in an Uber with a driver named Arthur who, ironically, was singing “The God Who Stays,” unaware that West was actually in the car with him.
“He was driving down the interstate with a big smile on his face, singing every word of my song back to me, having no idea the singer was in the backseat,” West recalls. “And so, I’m completely blown away by what’s happening. And I thought, ‘Well I’m just going to start singing too. Maybe he’ll realize my voice is similar to the guy on the radio.'”
While Arthur never did realize it was West in his car — and in fact told West he wasn’t as good as the singer on the radio — their exchange had a profound impact on West’s life.
“I’ll never forget that moment,” West admits. “The craziest thing happened, that once that moment took place, I forgot all about my own fears, concerns and panic that was consuming me. And instead, for the rest of the drive to the airport, I talked to Arthur, the Uber driver. He told me why that song meant something to him. How God has stayed with him through every step in his difficult life: moving from one country to another, being separated from family and friends, trying to become a U.S. citizen, trying to get a job, wondering where a next meal would come from. One, he knew the One who had been with him every step of the way.”
As the Illinois native returned home, unable to tour or perform live, he kept thinking about Arthur, and how pivotal that one conversation was to him.
“That wound up being a moment that I returned to time and time again for the next two years, as our world stepped into uncharted territory,” West acknowledges. “That story really became the inspiration for an entire book that is a reminder that through it all, the hardest seasons of our lives, through the hills and through the valleys, even though we may have to experience distance or separation, loneliness, anxiety — whatever the things we are facing, there is One who is with us every step of the way. He truly is the God who stays.”
West also just announced his An Evening At The Story House With Matthew West Tour, with Katy Nichole serving as his opening act. Find music and tour dates, and purchase The God Who Stays, at MatthewWest.com.