From the writings of the

Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Several times a year I do prison visitation to bring encouragement to inmates who feel they have no one to turn to for a listening ear and a word of hope. Some are so hardened it is like talking to the cement walls, but others warm to the message that God will pardon them and give them a new purpose. Many people tell me I am wasting my time. Am I?

A: History reveals that there are those who have actually refused a pardon. From the records of the U.S. Supreme Court comes such a story of defiance. In 1829, a man named Wilson was indicted for robbing the mail and endangering the life of a government mail carrier. Wilson was tried and sentenced to death. But President Andrew Jackson issued him a pardon. The man refused it and chose death by hanging rather than receive forgiveness.

This is a picture of what Jesus Christ has done for us. He offers mankind a pardon for sin and waits for our response. Many refuse Him, but Jesus stands ready to forgive and has paid the penalty for man’s crimes against Him.

Chuck Colson, a former prisoner himself, had a great ministry reaching prisoners with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many people will be in Heaven whose lives have been transformed because of the message that penetrated hardened hearts. Keep proclaiming God’s truth, even if the message falls on deaf ears. When inmates find themselves alone in their cells, the Gospel message can work in unresponsive hearts after your departure.

Never cease telling people about this great rescue mission that brings freedom to those imprisoned, whether inside or outside prison bars. “Preach the gospel to the poor” and “proclaim liberty to the captives” (Luke 4:18).

Q: It is claimed that music can influence a people and a nation, good or bad. Do you agree?

A: If oratory is the highest art, music must surely be a close second. George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” is a splendid example of how the written word set to music affects the human heart. The text for the music was compiled from the Bible by Handel’s friend Charles Jennens, who chose 1 Timothy 3:16 for Messiah’s epigraph: “God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up to glory.”

When it was first performed in 1742, a member of the audience expressed gratitude to Handel for “producing such a wonderful piece of ‘entertainment.’ “Entertainment!” Handel replied. “My purpose was not to entertain, but to teach them something.” For centuries Handel’s message has resonated in hearts, proclaiming that Jesus is the Lord who died and rose again. A soprano solo in the Messiah masterpiece combines Job 19 and 1 Corinthians 15 to proclaim: “I know that my Redeemer lives … for now is Christ risen from the dead.”

On the other hand, music can also have the opposite effect on people, causing hopelessness and despair. A popular song years ago invited listeners to visualize an existence where there is no Heaven, no Hell, no religion; where everyone lives only for today. The Bible describes such people becoming “vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21, KJV). Parents, listen to the words your children are speaking and be mindful of every form of entertainment to which they are exposed. Lead and guide them to wholesomeness at every turn in life.