On February 21, Billy Graham died at the age of 99. He commented in advance on his own passing: “Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”
The secular take on Graham’s life goes like this: “He filled stadiums and counseled presidents. The man had charisma.” The focus is on him. The NY Times said, “Mr. Graham spread his influence across the country and around the world through a combination of religious conviction, commanding stage presence and shrewd use of radio, television and advanced communication technologies.” He did it. NPR highlighted outward measures: “He preached to more than 200 million people in 185 countries, counseled presidents and led mass religious rallies that featured professional musicians and huge choirs, in venues ranging from a circus tent in Los Angeles to Yankee Stadium in New York.” All about his impressive achievements.
But Billy himself saw things very differently. In 1989 he was recognized with a sidewalk star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In response, Graham stated: “My primary desire today in having my name inscribed upon this Walk of Fame is that God would receive the glory… I hope someday somebody will come and say, ‘Who is Billy Graham? What did he stand for?’ Perhaps a child will ask his parents or grandparents, and they will tell him that he was not a celebrity, not a star, but a simple preacher of the Gospel. And that they might explain the Gospel to him, and that many might find Christ in that.”
That was his impulse: deflect attention away from himself and toward Jesus Christ. What’s more, Graham frequently pointed out how he, too, was a sinner needing God’s pardon, and that he, too, was prone to wander and depended on the Lord’s daily mercies. “I need Thee, oh, I need Thee. Every hour I need Thee.”
Graham said in L.A.: “Yes, this is a star. But the Bible teaches there’s only one real star, and he’s the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace.” Picture it: standing beside Hollywood Boulevard, Billy used the red-carpet platform to call people to come to Jesus.
