MY ANSWER

My wife died two years ago, and the hardest part has been the loneliness. Am I doomed to be lonely the rest of my life?
Billy Graham writes, "God knows your situation, and the most important thing I can tell you is to seek His will for your future. He loves you, and He alone knows what is best for you."

MY ANSWER

Our daughter has just one semester left in college, and she doesn't have any idea what she's going to do after graduation. How can I help her?
Billy Graham writes, "The most important thing you can do is urge her to seek God's will for her future. God has a perfect plan for each of us, and life's greatest joy comes from knowing Christ and following His purpose for our lives."

MY ANSWER

We really felt that God led us to open our home to a needy young woman. But she stole from us and then vanished. Did we misunderstand God?
Billy Graham writes, "What she did was wrong—but she will always remember your kindness, and someday God may use it to turn her to Christ."

MY ANSWER

I am a policeman and a Christian, and I have to admit I get discouraged sometimes because it doesn't seem like I'm doing much good.
Billy Graham writes, "What you are doing is not worthless—not at all. After all, how much worse would our society be if we didn't have people like you who are on the front lines combating crime?"

MY ANSWER

I've gone about as far as I can go in my present job, and I'm tempted to change careers while I'm still young enough to do it. But how will I know if it's the right decision?
Billy Graham writes, "The most important advice I can give you or anyone else who's facing a decision about their life is to seek God's will for their future."

MY ANSWER

Our parents are insisting my boyfriend and I wait until we get out of college before we get married, but we don't want to do this. Would it be wrong for us to get married secretly?
Billy Graham writes, "I sincerely hope you both will stop and consider carefully what your parents are telling you."

MY ANSWER

My boyfriend and I are living together. My parents are upset about this, but I don't see anything wrong with it. What do you think?
The real question isn't how your parents see this, or how your friends see it, or even how you see it. The real question is this: How does God see it? What is His attitude toward what you are doing?

MY ANSWER

A friend has hinted that God must be punishing us by severely handicapping our three-year-old daughter. Is he right?
Billy Graham writes, "Why did God bring this child into your lives? I have pondered questions like this repeatedly over the years, and to be honest I don't have a complete answer."

MY ANSWER

How can you tell whether it's God speaking to you or the devil?
Billy Graham writes, "When we face a decision, we need to do it prayerfully, trusting God to lead us. We also need to do it in light of God's Word, the Bible."

MY ANSWER

If God already knows what He's going to do, why bother to ask Him to do something when it's going to happen anyway?
Billy Graham writes, "Can you imagine having a very good friend—but never talking to him? Of course not, because one of the most important (and happy) parts of any relationship is the privilege of talking with each other."

MY ANSWER

I really prayed about college, and I thought God was telling me to go here, but now I'm not sure.
Billy Graham writes, "I urge you to stay right where you are (unless you become absolutely convinced that God is leading you elsewhere). Your experience isn't unusual; many find college (or any other major change in life) a bit disorienting at first."

MY ANSWER

I'll be heading into my last year of college at the end of the summer, and I'm already terrified because I don't know what I'll be doing after I get out. I know you'll tell me to pray about this, and I do, but I'm still afraid I'll make a wrong decision. Am I doing something wrong?
No, you aren't necessarily doing anything wrong; in fact, it's right for you to pray about your future and seek God's guidance (as I often say in this column).

MY ANSWER

I'm really getting scared (although I try to not show it), because I graduate from high school in a few months and I don't have any idea what I'm going to do next. My parents are pushing college on me but I can't get excited about it. What should I do?

MY ANSWER

I sell life insurance for a living, and the other day a man told me he didn't need any kind of insurance because the Bible says God will take care of him and his family. Is he right? This was something new to me.

MY ANSWER

Recently I've been dating a man who takes a class with me at our local community college. We are talking very seriously about marriage, but he is much older than I am, and my mother says I shouldn't marry someone who isn't my age (I am 19). Does the Bible say anything about this?

MY ANSWER

Our youth leader at church says God has a specific plan for each of us, but I have a hard time believing it. Why would God worry about every little detail of my life, when He has much bigger things to take care of?

MY ANSWER

I have a friend who is always reading those prophecies about the future that you see in supermarket tabloids and magazines. She really takes them seriously and tries to follow them, and says God is speaking to her and guiding her through them. Is she right?

MY ANSWER

Is everything that happens already determined by God, and it's going to happen no matter what we do? Or do we have the ability to carry out plans on our own, regardless of what God hoped would happen? I have a real struggle understanding this.

MY ANSWER

I've been going through some hard times lately. I'm a Christian, but have I done something wrong and God is punishing me for it? I don't know what I did wrong, but I sure wish I could get this behind me.

MY ANSWER

I don't mean to shock you, but I'm disappointed with God. I have a lot of financial problems, and if He loved me He'd be doing something about them. But nothing changes, so why should I think He cares?