Some time ago I partnered with Michael W. Smith for a ministry weekend. The retreat was held at a beautiful facility in North Carolina owned by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Michael and I met to go over the weekend schedule, but he had just met with Billy Graham, and he was so moved that he hardly discussed the retreat. The ninety-four-year-old evangelist told Michael that he hoped his name would not be mentioned at his funeral. “What?” Michael asked. “I hope only that the name of the Lord Jesus be lifted up.”
Billy Graham preached to hundreds of millions of people. He advised every U.S. president from Truman to Obama. Yet he didn’t want to be mentioned at his own funeral. Proverbs 22:4 says, “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.”
