Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: It’s discouraging to pray for things that never come. I don’t mean “things” as much as praying for peace to come to this world, diseases to be exterminated, poverty to be overcome, relationships to be restored, and people to be saved. Why pray if the right answers don’t come? — P.D.

Dear P.D.: Prayer is not about things, but people. And in our fallen world, sin abounds and will never be totally extinguished until Christ returns. But no matter how dark and hopeless a situation might seem, never stop praying. Encouraging others to look to God not only in bad times, but to thank Him in good times, is the right thing to do. There’s nothing better to do than to point people to the Savior; this is the greatest prayer that can be prayed.
There are not always easy solutions to worldly problems. The Bible teaches that our souls have a disease worse than anything else present in the world. It’s the plague that causes worldwide troubles and causes all the confusions and disillusionments. The name of the disease is an ugly word — sin — and affects us all. Pointing people to Christ is the first step in walking with Christ, who deeply cares about everything that affects us. When we walk rightly with God, emptying comes before filling, confession before forgiveness, and poverty before riches.
C.S. Lewis wrote of 19th century George MacDonald: “His resignation to poverty was at the opposite pole from that of a stoic. He appears to have been a sunny, playful man, deeply appreciative of all really beautiful and delicious things that money can buy and no less deeply content to do without them.”
May we work at learning about the heart of God, and He will guide and make life worth living.
—————
(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)