When everything you put your hope in disappears—and you reach the end of yourself—that’s where you find God.
This is often the scenario when people call the Billy Graham Prayer Line. While many call for prayer, others are searching for life’s purpose. By talking to someone who cares and hearing God’s Word, thousands have found peace with Him.
Here are some of their stories.
Sinking Deep
Sean* called feeling depressed and isolated, sharing how he had lost both his mother and brother at a young age. He surrendered his life to Christ as a child but strayed away. Tanya, a trained volunteer, brought up the Bible account of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus. “I reminded him how high the waves were,” she said, “and how Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus.”
Tanya asked Sean what happened at that point in the story. “Jesus grabbed him,” Sean remembered. “Tell me that again,” she said. Sean repeated it, then started to weep as he said it a third time. Peter didn’t have the ability to save himself, Tanya said, and may have lost his grip if he tried to grab hold of Jesus himself. “Jesus has an eternal grip on us,” she explained, suggesting that Sean visualize this story whenever he felt depressed.
Tanya also shared Romans 15:13 as she prayed for him, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
From Heartbreak to Comfort
After losing his fiancé to COVID-19, and weak from battling it himself, Roger* called the prayer line. Laura, a trained volunteer, empathized with him, having lost two loved ones to the coronavirus.
“The God of all comfort comforted me through a double valley of grief,” she shared. They talked about heaven and how a person who has made a decision for Christ will spend eternity with Him. Roger prayed to give his heart to Jesus and said he felt greatly relieved.
Finding Joy and Peace
Mabel* called wanting to know more about being saved, saying she’d never felt the joy and peace that Christians talk about. Patricia explained that joy comes from realizing we are sinners and asking God to forgive us and be Lord of our life. Mabel prayed to do this and Patricia encouraged her to start reading the Bible to grow in her faith.
Surrendering Sin
One caller, Ben*, casually inquired about prayer for two friends. After Suzanne, a trained volunteer, prayed for them, she asked if she could pray for him. Ben’s voice broke as he confided a recent HIV diagnosis, and that he’d fallen into the wrong things.
Ben listened intently and sobbed as Suzanne assured him of God’s love for him and what Jesus did for humanity. Though he was raised in a Christian home, this was the first time Ben had prayed to turn over his life to Christ. Suzanne encouraged him to get involved with a Bible-based church again and to read God’s Word and pray.
For the First Time Ever
Someone on social media pointed Brittney, a dermatology student, to the Billy Graham Prayer Line. She had never heard the Gospel or read the Bible. Brittney was very excited to hear how much God loves her and prayed to ask Christ to forgive her sins and to accept Him as Savior.
A Prayer for Ultimate Protection
A Muslim called for prayer to protect his family from COVID-19. The trained volunteer went through the Steps to Peace With God and the man prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior. >>Do you have an Arabic-speaking friend? Share the Gospel through this interactive website.
*Names changed for privacy.
