Prayers from Billy Graham

Billy Graham prayed this prayer during a crusade in Sacramento, California.  We face a great crisis in our world today, and we will continue to face more crises until Jesus returns.  Pray this prayer for our world because Jesus is our only true hope.

… Our Father and our God, we pray that in this period of crisis in our world that the Holy Spirit will use it to remind us of our need of Thee and our relationship with Thee and we pray that tonight if our relationship is not right that we’ll make it right through Jesus Christ our Lord who came to die on the cross because He loved us. For we ask it in His Name. Amen.

In New York in 1957, Billy Graham prayed this prayer of remembrance. He prayed that we all remember how much our God cares for us and His grace in sending Jesus to die for us.  Pray this prayer, with confidence, knowing that God loves you and watches over you.

Our Father and our God, we pray that… we all might be conscious that Thine eye is upon us. If God can see the sparrow fall, if He has the hairs of our head numbered, we know that He watches us, that He loves us, that He cares for us, and we’re told in Thy Word that He cares for us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to the cross to die that we might find forgiveness of our sins. We pray… that Thy Holy Spirit will draw all men unto the Savior, for we ask it in His Name. Amen.

Inaugural Prayers

Billy Graham prayed at many presidential inaugurations.  He prayed for our nation, for the transition of leadership and power, for the President, and for courage and commitment.

For Our Nation:

Our Father and our God, Thou hast said, “Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord.” We recognize on this historic occasion that we are “a nation under God.” We thank Thee for this torch of faith handed to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be extinguished. Thou alone hast given us our prosperity, our freedom and our power. This faith in God is our heritage and our foundation!

Thou hast warned us in the Scriptures, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” As George Washington reminded us in his farewell address, morality and faith are the pillars of our society. We confess these pillars are being eroded in an increasingly materialistic and permissive society. The whole world is watching to see if the faith of our fathers will stand the trials and tests of the hour. Too long we have neglected Thy word and ignored Thy laws. Too long we have tried to solve our problems without reference to Thee. Too long we have tried to live by bread alone. We have sown to the wind and are now reaping a whirlwind of crime, division, and rebellion.

And now with the wages of our sins staring us in the face, we remember Thy words, “If my people who are called by my Name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” —Billy Graham, 1969 inaugural prayer

For the Transition of Leadership and Power

And now, on this twentieth day of January, 1993, we commit to you President-elect (Bill) Clinton and Vice-President-elect (Al) Gore, who you have permitted to take leadership at this critical time in our nation’s history. Help them always to see the office to which they’ve been elected as a sacred trust from you. We pray that you will bless their wives who will share so much of the responsibility and burdens. Make President-elect Clinton know that he is never really alone but that the eternal God can be his refuge and he can turn to you in every circumstance. Give him the wisdom you’ve promised to whose who ask and the strength that you alone can give. We thank you for his predecessor President Bush and the dedication he gave to this office. Bless him as he and Mrs. Bush continue their dedicated service to our country in other spheres. We commit this inaugural ceremony to you and ask that the memory of this event may always remind us to pray for our leaders. I pray this in the name of the one that’s called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace. Amen. —Billy Graham, 1993 inaugural invocation

For the President

And now we come to a new era in our history. In Thy sovereignty, Thou hast permitted George Bush to lead us at this momentous hour of our history for the next four years. As he today places his hand upon the Bible and solemnly swears before Thee to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, give him the wisdom, integrity, and courage to help this become a nation that is gentle and kind. Protect him from physical danger, and in the lonely moments of decision grant him Thy wisdom to know what is morally right and an uncompromising courage to do it. Give him a cool head and a warm heart. Give him a compassion for those in physical, moral and spiritual need. O God, we consecrate today George Herbert Walker Bush to the presidency of these United States with the assurance that from this hour on, as he and his family move into the White House, they will have the presence and power of the One who said, “I will never leave thee or forsake thee. [Hebrews 13:5]”—Billy Graham, 1989 inaugural invocation

For Courage and Commitment

Our Father and our God, we thank You today for the privilege of coming into Your presence on this historic and solemn occasion.

We thank You for Your gracious hand which has preserved us as a nation. We praise You for the peaceful continuity of government that this Inauguration represents.

We recall that the Bible says, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127: 1, KJV). You also said that to whom much has been given, much shall be required.

We look gratefully to the past and thank You that from the very foundations of America You granted our forefathers courage and wisdom, as they trusted in You. So we ask today that You would inspire us by their example; where there has been failure, forgive us; where there has been progress, confirm; where there has been success, give us humility; and teach us to follow Your instructions more closely as we enter the next century.

Give to all those to whom You have entrusted leadership today a desire to seek Your will and to do it. —Billy Graham, 1997 inaugural prayer

A Prayer of Hope

In 2008, Billy Graham wrote a beautiful prayer for the New Year.  It was published in The Saturday Evening Post and reminds us that our future is in God’s hands and our hope is in Him.  The words are just as relevant today as they were in 2008.   The prayer, in its entirety, can be here.

Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future… We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year… And so, our Father, we thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and we look forward to it with expectancy and faith. This I ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, who by His death and resurrection has given us hope both for this world and the world to come. Amen.

Billy Graham’s Message on His 99th Birthday

On November 7, 2017, Billy Graham celebrated what would be his final birthday. His son, Franklin Graham, released a video message featuring clips from Billy Graham’s 2013 My Hope worldwide evangelistic outreach. In the video Billy Graham said:

I’ve been praying that we might have a spiritual awakening. I think that becomes possible only as individuals surrender their lives afresh and anew to Christ. 

First, we must do everything we can to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Live a life in which we love one another, we help one another, and we live according to His word as Jesus lived.

The Holy Spirit is the one who helps us live that new lifestyle. It’s one of love, gentleness, and patience and all of these things that are the fruits of the Spirit.

You read his Word every day… the Bible. I know it’s very difficult but you need to start somewhere and I suggest you start with the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament and in the Old Testament start with the first verse — “In the Beginning, God.”

Go to your knees and pray until you and God have become intimate friends. I cannot describe to you the joy and the peace he gives as a result of the daily routine that you have.

Billy Graham 1918-2018

The voice that spoke worldwide and shared the gospel of saving grace is now silent, but his words will live on, and his message is eternal.  “God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you.”  Share the Gospel with someone today.

Read also:
Remembering Billy Graham  — A Life Well Lived
What Would Billy Graham Say?  (Nov 7, 2016)
Remembering Billy Graham (1918-2018)
Prayers from Billy Graham