Sight Unseen

A series on meeting God – Abraham
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 12:1-9; Genesis 15:1-21 

[We all have a story about how we met God. Some are more miraculous than others, but none more amazing than the mere fact that the Living God, our Creator, reached out to bring us into relationship with him. In this series, we will be looking at how people in the Bible met God, and what that means to you today.]

  

As a junior in high school, I planned to go into geological engineering. When I told Mr. Clark, our guidance counselor, he immediately said, “You need to go to Michigan Tech in Houghton”.

 

I didn’t know anything about Tech. Things like their average annual snowfall was 250 inches; or that there were 10 guys for every girl; or that it was about a nine-hour drive to the middle of nowhere. All I knew was that Mr. Clark recommended it; so, I went to Tech… sight unseen. Abram did the same thing!

 

Abram was born in Ur of the Chaldeans in Mesopotamia. He lived there with his father, Terah - who worshiped the moon god, his wife Sarai - who was barren and his nephew Lot – whose father had died.

 

While in Mesopotamia, the Lord appeared to Abram telling him to leave his home and his people, and to go to the land that the Lord would show him. Based solely on the word of the Lord, Abram uprooted his life to go there… sight unseen.

 

Abram took with him Terah, Sarai and Lot. However, on the way they settled in Harran, a city also known for worshipping the moon god. Although we don’t know why they settled there, you could speculate that it had to do with Terah. Because when he died Abram once again set out for the land the Lord would show him.

 

Despite Sarai being barren, the Lord made this startling promise to Abram.

 

² “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.       NIV              Genesis 12

 

At the age of seventy-five, Abram arrived in Canaan with his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, along with all their possessions and people that they had acquired in Harran. But they weren’t alone. The Canaanites lived there.

 

Even though Abram was old, Sarai was still barren, and the Canaanites were there, the Lord again appeared to Abram and promised that he would give Abram’s descendants the land. Therefore, he built an altar to the Lord.

 

However, over the following decade, Abram experienced many adversities, not the least of which was that he still had no children. Afraid and discouraged, the Lord appeared to Abram again. This time, Abram complained about being childless.

 

⁵ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

⁶ And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.  NLT   Genesis 15

 

Based on God’s word and promise, Abram went to the ends of the earth… sight unseen. The Lord had made a covenant with Abram that he would fulfill his promise. The Lord also made a new covenant with you and me. A covenant to forgive our sins and restore us to him.

 

²⁰ After supper Jesus took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.  NLT   Luke 22

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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It Only Takes a Moment to Change Your Life

 A Series on Lent
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 5:1-11

[Lent gives us an opportunity to step back and pause to recognize our humanity and sinful nature. The Lenten season reminds us of our need for a Savior as a time to reflect and repent for our shortcomings. It is an opportunity to recognize the human condition we may spend the rest of the year running from and bring our need for a Savior to the forefront. Lent prepares us as we approach Good Friday and Easter with thanksgiving for the grace and mercy shown to us.]

  

It only takes a moment to change your life. For me, one of those life-changing moments occurred in high school when I was in the process of deciding what college to attend. When I told the guidance counselor that I wanted to be a geologist, he said, in no uncertain terms, “Well then, you need to go to Michigan Tech”. So I did.

 

Peter had one of those moments too. His occurred while he was at his job. After fishing all night, he was cleaning the nets. Nearby, Jesus was speaking to a crowd so large that he asked Peter to take his boat out in the water again so that he could speak from his boat in order to be heard by all the people.

 

When he was finished, Jesus asked Peter to go out to the deep water to fish again, even though they hadn’t caught anything the night before. But, because it was Jesus who asked, Peter did it. Here’s what happened after Peter caught so many fish that two boats could barely bring them to shore.

 

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.                        NIV

 

You would be hard pressed to convince me that Peter was a touchy-feely kind of guy; somebody who was introspective or easily impressed. No, not at all. He was a take charge kind of guy who acted first, and then thought about it later… maybe.

 

But, what was the impact of that brief moment between Jesus and Peter? How did it change Peter’s life?

 

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.      NIV

 

Lent is a time for drawing close to our Lord. Sometimes that can happen by fasting and prayer. But sometimes it happens in a less conventional manner… like at work fishing. The Lord is not limited by how or where He speaks to us. It could be through a life experience; a book; a movie; a friend. All we need to do is listen.

 

After all, it only takes a moment to change your life.

 

 

Here am I. Send Me.

Reaching Higher: A Series on My Journey of Discipleship

Isaiah 6:1-9

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%206%3A1-9&version=NIV;TLB

[Preface: This series is autobiographical to the extent that it is loosely based on my spiritual journey. In some ways, you could compare it to the stock market with a gradual overall increase, but many ups and downs; even a crash or two. Through it all though, the Lord has loved me and been with me the whole time. I hope you find my journey encouraging, but also, that the Lord might speak to you through it.]

 

How do you know what your calling in life is?

During the period between dropping out of college at Michigan Tech and returning to school at Michigan State, something happened to me. It was during this interim time that I experienced God’s call on my life… only I didn’t know it.

 

It came in the form of a simple specific desire; the desire “to use basketball to reach young black boys for Christ”. The Lord grew that mustard seed size desire for ministry, one step at a time, into twenty five years of working with urban youth.

 

In the Temple, Isaiah sees an awe inspiring vision of the Lord, including seraphim with six wings.

 ³ In a great antiphonal chorus they sang,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

the whole earth is filled with his glory.”

⁴ Such singing it was! It shook the Temple to its foundations, and suddenly the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke. TLB

 

 

As a result of coming face to face with the holy Lord Almighty, Isaiah was struck by his own sinfulness. It was only through the Lord that his sins were forgiven. Following this, Isaiah felt the call of God on his life.

 

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,

“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”           NIV

 

It took me years to figure out what the Lord wanted me to do; what my calling was. Not everyone has a rock concert “call of God” experience like Isaiah. More often, I think our Father calls us in a “still small voice”, and takes us through a series of steps. After all, if we knew what was on the road ahead, we might never go.

How do you know what your calling in life is?

Look at the people in your life; look at the things you enjoy doing and are good at; look at the opportunities around you; look at the desires of your heart.

Don’t miss his “still small voice” while listening for the smoke and thunder. Don’t let the business of life; the intimidation of the unknown; or the fear of rejection keep you from what the Lord has called you to do.

Then… take your first small step.

 

 

 

 

Baptism by Fire

“Where are you God?” - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 60

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2060&version=NIV;TLB

 

I had never flown before. As my plane was circling the Hancock airport to approach the landing strip, darkness covered everything like a blanket.

 

 

Having never visited Michigan Tech, I had no reference point other than all the lights below from the Houghton/Hancock area. It looked like a big city; daunting and dangerous.

 

It was a huge, scary unknown world waiting for me.

 

My parents had tried to prepare me for this. All parents do. They try to prepare their children to become responsible adults who are able to live on their own; who can face the battles of the world; who can struggle and survive. I was now truly on my own; a baptism by fire. But was I ready?

 

Psalm 60 was written by David when he was at war with Syria in the north while Edom invaded Judah from the south. All seemed lost and he wondered out loud if God had rejected him; if God would march with his armies again. David knew what it felt like to be thrown into a baptism by fire.

 

But in the midst of his lament, David remembered God’s banner. Like a flag that soldiers rally around in the heat of battle, David rallied to God’s promises; to His Covenant.

 

^4-5 But you have given us a banner to rally to; all who love truth will rally to it; then you can deliver your beloved people. Use your strong right arm to rescue us. ^6-7 God has promised to help us. He has vowed it by his holiness! No wonder I exult! “Shechem, Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh—still are mine!” he says. “Judah shall continue to produce kings, and Ephraim great warriors. ⁸ Moab shall become my lowly servant, and Edom my slave. And I will shout in triumph over the Philistines.”                   TLB

 

When you are feeling “rejected by God; shaken and torn open; facing desperate times”; do what David did and reflect on God’s Covenant with you.

 

 

And like David, you can rally around God’s banner; the banner of Jesus Christ; the banner who brings you hope; the banner who will lead you through your own baptism by fire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betrayed or Betrayer?

“Where are you God?” - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 55

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2055&version=NIV;TPT

 

It was a crisp, clear winter night in Houghton, Michigan. One of those Upper Peninsula nights that makes everything sharper, cleaner, more crisp. Not bitter cold; just cold.

 

I went for a walk to get away; to be alone. The snow crunched under my feet until I found a spot where nobody else would be. I laid down on the bed of snow, looking up at the starry night, and cried out, “Why God? Why!”

 

It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement; an indictment really. “Why did you let this happen to me God! It hurts so bad to be betrayed”. As a nineteen year-old whose self-image revolved around having a girlfriend, my world was crushed when my fiancé dumped me for another guy. Not only had she betrayed me; but I felt like God had too.

 

David knew how it felt to be betrayed.

 

¹² It wasn’t an enemy who taunted me.
If it was my enemy, filled with pride and hatred,
then I could have endured it. I would have just run away.
¹³ But it was you, my intimate friend—one like a brother to me.
It was you, my advisor, the companion I walked with and worked with!
¹⁴ We once had sweet fellowship with each other. We worshiped in unity as one, celebrating together with God’s people.             TPT

 

Jesus knew what it felt like to be betrayed also. Not only was he betrayed by his closest friends in his greatest hour of need; but he was betrayed by his Heavenly Father. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

 

But are we any different than Jesus’ disciples? Would we have done any better had we been there? Wouldn’t we have betrayed him just as Peter did? Don’t we betray him still when we rebelliously sin?

 

Is there anything left for us to do but to follow in the steps of David as he cried out to God, even when feeling betrayed?

 

¹⁶ But as for me, I will call upon the Lord to save me, and I know he will!
¹⁷ Every evening I will explain my need to him.
Every morning I will move my soul toward him.
Every waking hour I will worship only him,
and he will hear and respond to my cry.            TPT