Zach Williams is a popular, award-winning Christian singer and musician. His songs have topped the charts in recent years. Three of his hits are “Chain Breaker”, “Old Church Choir” and “There Was Jesus” (the last one he sings with Dolly Parton). He has also won two Grammys and three Dove awards.
So, what does this success story have to do with marijuana, music and Jesus? William’s autobiography comes out this Tuesday (February 27) and gives the answer. It’s called Rescue Story: Faith, Freedom, and Finding My Way Home. Here’s a quick preview…
The prodigal son
Williams was born in 1978 into a Christian home in Florida. The family moved to Arkansas where his mother sang in church and his father was a worship leader. Although he heard about God as a boy, his faith didn’t take root. As he got older, he lost interest and would hide in the church restroom until the service ended.
Just like Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (see Luke chapter 15), Williams left his family and faith behind. He recalls, “When I turned 18, I ran as far and as fast as I could from that for a number of years.” He joined the party crowd and got hooked on marijuana. “I was one of those guys that for about seven, eight years of my life, didn't go a day without smoking pot, and it's just how I lived and functioned.” Williams also began to drink more heavily.
In 2007, he formed a Southern Rock band called “Zach Williams and the Reformation” (interesting name) and cut two albums. With growing popularity, they started touring America and then Europe. “You went on stage, you partied, you got off stage, you partied, you woke up in a different city on a different couch, a different hotel room... I got myself into a place where I was unhappy with it.”
Feeling more and more unfulfilled, he sensed an emptiness, a “hole in my soul”.
The turning point
In 2012, as Williams was preparing for a return tour to Europe, his wife, Crystal, gave him an ultimatum. “If you can't change for your family, [and] you come back worse than you are, we're done.” His wife was pregnant with their daughter and he didn't want to lose his family. About a week later, Williams was on tour and miserable. He prayed, “God, if You're real, prove it. And if you can, I'll walk away from all this.”
The very next day, Williams felt God’s presence in his life for the first time in a long time. He recalls, “We were driving across Spain on an eight-hour bus ride, and our driver was scanning radio stations, and I hear a song by Big Daddy Weave come across the radio and it stops just long enough on the station for me to hear the lyrics.” The song was called “Redeemed”.
When Williams arrived at his hotel room that evening, he looked the song up and listened to the lyrics. “In that moment, I realized that God saw me in a way that I would never see myself. And I called my wife and I told her about it. And I said, ‘When I get home, I'm done [with the band].’”
The way home
True to his word, Williams came home, quit the band he had started, and committed his life to the Lord on June 10, 2012. He and his family started going to church and a year later, he was asked to lead worship. He also became the lead singer of a new group (Christian, this time) called “Brothers of Grace.”
Williams started writing Christian music and in 2016 went solo. That same year, he was invited to Nashville to write some songs. One of those songs was “Chain Breaker,” which topped the Christian country music charts for 15 weeks.
Looking back, Williams (now 45) says, “I'm just grateful that I had parents who were an example of Christ — that loved me through, that never judged me, that continued to pray and trust and believe that God had a plan for my life.” The theme of Williams’ life and biography is hope. “My prayer is that people walk away from this and see just how much God loves us... if He could do it for me, He can do it for anybody.”
Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
