Life insurance may be one way God provides

DEAR DR. GRAHAM: 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. – Z.K.

DEAR Z.K.: I'm sure this person was sincere – and he was right, up to a point: God has promised to take care of His children when hard times come. The psalmist wrote, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread" (Psalm 37:25).

But what he has overlooked is that one of the ways God may provide for a needy family is through insurance. Money doesn't just come out of thin air to provide for a widow or her family; someone has to provide it. And the first place that money should come from, the Bible says, is our own savings. Sometimes this isn't possible, of course – but the Bible does say that "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children" (Proverbs 13:22). Insurance can be one way of meeting that goal.

At the same time, the Bible does command us to help those who are in genuine need. An unexpected disability ... a sudden death ... the loss of a job ... many things can cause serious financial distress. The Bible warns, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:8).

At the same time, a person may have all the insurance in the world – and yet not be ready to die. We need Christ, for only He has broken the chains of death and opened the door to heaven. Put your faith in Him today.