A grieving widower reached out to evangelist Billy Graham to ask if it was ok to try and contact his recently deceased wife through a medium.
The 98-year-old only had a strong warning in response to the man who said he lost his wife to drugs last year and was now feeling 'like I have a hole in my heart that will never heal.'
A friend recently suggested consulting a medium to make contact with his dead wife's spirit. His sister urged him to stay away but he was curious what Graham had to say about it from a biblical perspective.
He quoted from Isaiah 52:1 which commands believers to 'touch no unclean thing' and he also quoted from Deuteronomy 18:12 as explained the Old Testament command to stay away from occult activity, which includes attempting to communicate with the dead.
Some people 'have committed their lives to spiritual powers and demonic forces that are opposed to God, and they actively seek to use those occult powers in ways that can only harm you spiritually,' he said.
There was also a very good practical reason why it's not good for Christians to consult with a medium, in his opinion – they're not really able to communicate with the dead and they're really just interested in financial gain.
'One reason is because many who claim to have powers like this actually are frauds. Although they may appear to be sympathetic and say they want to help you, in reality they can't deliver what they promise, and they're only interested in your money,' he said.
Graham ended his reply on a sympathetic note, telling the grieving widower not to turn to false paths or give in to hope and instead allow God to give him a hope for a future and feel the place of emptiness in his soul.
'The most important thing I can tell you, however, is that God knows all about your hurt—and He wants to help you, because He loves you,' he said.
