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"I think I must have been praying for help in desperation at this stage, because a thought came into my head. ‘That’s it, I’m going to give church one last shot...’
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How I came to know the Lord
My name is Billy Watson. I grew up in a small village in the Scottish Highlands, the youngest of a family of four children. As a child I attended Sunday school and believed in God as much as you can at that age.
When I was nine years old my father died, and my faith in God took a huge knock: - I couldn’t understand why he had been taken, or how God could do this.
My mother never got over my fathers death, and died 11 years later. I still remember the minister coming round to the house and saying ‘We’ll say a prayer for your mother’. My heart just wasn’t in it though, and my faith went cold at that stage.
When I went to secondary school I was interested in science. Although watching ‘documentaries’ that introduced us to the theory of evolution, I never could believe that we were descended from apes, and even the Big Bang theory never made any sense to me, because no matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn’t convince my brain that you can get the whole Universe from nothing. Elaborate TV explanations did nothing to convince me otherwise. I remember lying on my back in the heather one clear star-lit night and just looking up, and gazing in awe and wonderment for ages at what is above us.
In the same regard I would look at the world around, and watch the news, and listen to debates. These questions we all ask like ‘Why are so many people killed and so many wars started in the name of religion? Surely if God was looking on he would make sure that people did not do such things in His name?’ And ‘what about all the starving people in the world. How could a loving God let this happen?’
These questions bothered me. I used to ask questions in religious education class, but I could never get an answer that satisfied me. I think I was probably agnostic at this stage.
One Sunday night, there was a 21st birthday party on at the Student’s Union. I had always been one for going out and enjoying myself, and thought it would probably have done me some good, but I couldn’t afford to go.
I think I must have been praying for help in desperation at this stage, because a thought came into my head. ‘That’s it, I’m going to give church one last shot.’ Now the only question was, which church. To me this didn’t seem a problem: - They’re all the same, right? (I thought at the time). I had seen a leaflet about an old church in the centre of the city called The Steeple Church, and for no other reason than It was one of the oldest churches in Dundee with a bit of history, I decided to go there.
The first thing I noticed when I went into the church was that there was a guitar, an electric piano and some drums set up at the end of the hall. ‘This will be interesting’ I thought, as I had been playing the guitar myself at this stage for about 6 or 7 years.
I must say I really enjoyed the service, and I’ll never forget the name of the minister – his name was Jock Stein, the same as the Scotland football manager at the time. I remember a girl in the congregation stood up, and sang a sincere, worshipful song with a beautiful voice. Then someone else read some verses from the bible, and different people read or prayed. I’ll say again that I thought the service was brilliant and the music really, really good. Another thing I liked was at the end of the service, instead of people rushing off, they served teas and coffee so that people could stay and chat. Mine being a new face of course, a member of the church introduced himself to me. When I said I was a student, he said that there was a youth fellowship meeting on after the church; I’d be very welcome if I would like to go?
This meeting was held in an apartment in the city centre. I decided to walk home that night, I ended up walking all the way back to the halls of residence which were a good few miles away. On the walk back, I was thinking about the church service and contemplating things.
When I got to my room, although it was late, I didn’t feel tired, so picked up my guitar and put some words to the chords I’d been playing with. The words were…
‘When I look at all you’ve given me Lord,
I want to just break down and cry.
Mountains and streams, and star-lit moonbeams
Makes me want to just reach the sky.
And as sure as the dewdrop reaches the sea,
I know that one day, we’ll all be…
Free, Free, Free me Lord.’
I wish I could have said at this stage that I went back to church the following Sunday and told someone what had happened, but I didn’t. Although my faith in God was strong and unshakeable, looking back now, I don’t believe that what I had was the faith of salvation. What I mean by this is that I hadn’t asked God to forgive my sins and accept the sacrifice that Jesus had paid on my behalf as a consequence of my sin, or to ask Jesus into my life as my Lord and Saviour. The devil himself believes in God, so belief in God alone is not sufficient to receive salvation.
Jesus said: -
‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’(John 14 v 6)
And,
‘Jesus answered and said unto him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”’ (John 3 v 3)
At the time I had a naïve new-age sort of attitude to religion. I know now the importance of discipleship, teaching and study, but at the time I was a bit like the blind leading the blind.
About seven years ago I climbed up a mountain in County Wicklow so I could be totally alone, and had a real heart to heart with God. I was praying like there was no tomorrow, and seeking some answers, one of which being where should I worship?
A couple of weeks after that I met a girl, and when we got talking about life, the universe and everything, she told me that she was a ‘bible believing Christian’. Now this was a new expression to me, (What other kind is there? I thought to myself) but we got talking and started seeing each other. Apart from everything else I was curious about what type of church Ruth went to, and had loads of questions, which I had an opportunity to ask her father about too, after being introduced.
On another day I was invited up to Ruth’s for dinner, and I had an opportunity to ask a couple more questions. That was the day I asked Jesus into my life, and my life has been transformed. I knew the next day that I had changed, and since then I have been conscious of the Lords help in my life and in my work.
It is not God’s fault that so many wars are fought in this world in His name. It is the evil in man’s heart as a result of sin that drives men to heinous deeds that are in complete contradiction to His Word.
The world is not perfect. It has not been perfect since the fall of man, and sin entered into it. There will be death, sickness and awfulness as a consequence. But God has made a way back to Him, through Jesus Christ our redeemer who died for you and for me on Calvary that God’s plan for our redemption to Him may be fulfilled. It is due to my searching that I got the answers.
‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.’ (Matthew Ch 7 v 7 + 8)
‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.’ (Rev Ch3 v 20)
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