The Little Old Lady from Pasadena (who prayed for Billy Graham)

The Bible tells us that one day, all Christians will stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. Don’t let that frighten you, because this particular judgment happens in heaven, which means you made it!

The Bible says, “For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in his body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10 NKJV).

It will be about how you lived your life and what you did with your time and resources.

An awards ceremony

Perhaps we can better understand this judgment if we were to compare it to an awards ceremony like the Oscars, Emmys, or Grammys. Rewards will be given out for faithfulness on this day.

We may expect that the great saints that God has used over the years will reap all the awards. People like Corrie Ten Boom, Jim Elliot, and Billy Graham.

Pearle Goode

We may also be surprised by the rewards won by “the little old lady from Pasadena”!

Yes, there really was one, and her name was Pearle Goode. When Billy was doing his crusade in Pasadena a few years ago, he attributed the success of these events, going back 56 years, to prayer.

If the Graham team had anything close to a personal intercessor, it was Pearle Goode of Pasadena. For many years, she prayed in secret for Graham until he heard about her and made provision for her to attend his crusades so she could pray on-site.

Goode lived to be 90. At her funeral, Billy’s wife, Ruth, paid her this tribute: “Here lie the mortal remains of much of the secret of Bill’s ministry.”

She did her part

Pearle Goode wasn’t a preacher, missionary, or author. She didn’t have a hit song on Christian radio. But Pearle did her part, just as surely as Billy Graham did his.

While Billy was out preaching, Pearle was praying. While Billy was doing his part, Pearle was doing hers.

Don’t worry about what God has called someone else to do. What has He called you to do?

We all have a part to play in getting the gospel out. Make sure you do yours.