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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I’m a writer of poetry, and some of it has been published. I’ve been asked if Biblical poetry has influenced my work. I had to answer that I’ve never studied it. Is it considered holy Scripture, or does it simply reflect human emotion, pride, and humility? – P.V.

A: The psalms teach man how to relate to God; the proverbs teach us how to relate to others. The book of Proverbs is a marvelous little book to read daily, one chapter for each day of the month, packed with God’s wisdom.

Someone has written that instead of calling a day of the month the 22 nd, for example, she instead calls it Proverbs 22 day. What an uplifting thought, to begin each day with wise nuggets of truth from God’s Word that convict us of where we are wrong and point us to God’s wisdom.

Proverbs 11:2, for instance, tells us that with pride comes shame. The opposite of pride is humility. We’re commanded to seek the Lord’s righteousness and humility. This is difficult, especially in our world today. Society is self-focused. The culture shouts, “Me, myself, and I!” We must always be on the alert and police our hearts. Pride comes from looking only at ourselves; meekness comes through looking at God. The Bible teaches that we should think more highly of others than we think of ourselves (see Philippians 2:3). This is made very difficult today by self-help books and seminars, advertisements, and entertainment that fill our minds with bolstering our self-confidence. Humility causes us to look outward to others, and most of all upward to God.

The book of Psalms is the Bible’s hymnbook. It shows us what it means to walk with God in prayer and praise. Reading from the books of Psalms and Proverbs daily will help us focus on the inspiration of the Author Himself.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2025 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c)2025 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.