Q: My family has been torn apart by drugs, divorce and other things, and I worry all the time about what's going to happen to them. I feel so helpless, and no matter what I try to do it doesn't seem to make any difference. Pray that I'll know what to do. I just don't have any hope. - Mrs. B.K.

A: You carry a very heavy burden - and the most important thing I can tell you is that God cares about you and your family, and He doesn't want you to carry your burden alone.

Instead, God wants you to turn your burden over to Him, and learn to trust Him to help you. Jesus' promise is for you: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). How is this possible? It's possible first of all because God is far greater than we are. No burden is too great for Him! It's possible too because He loves us, and He wants to help us. By a simple prayer of faith ask Christ to come into your life today.

But Christ also can give us rest from our burdens because He knows all about our problems, and He can help us with them. No, I can't promise that your family's problems will suddenly vanish. But I can promise that God will show you ways you can help them - and even when you can't, He'll give you peace.

Christ gives us peace also as we learn to commit our problems to Him in prayer. Your family needs Christ; they need His forgiveness, and they need His life-changing power. Pray for them, that God will bring them to Himself and begin changing them by His Holy Spirit.

Q: I suppose I ought to read my Bible, but whenever I've tried I just get discouraged and give up. It's so big, and I've never been much of a reader anyway. Am I missing something? - Mrs. C.D.

A: Yes, you are missing something - you're missing the joy of having God speak to you every day! God gave us the Bible, and He did this so we could be comforted and guided by His truth. The Psalmist said, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105).

At the same time, I can understand your frustration; the Bible is a big book and it is easy to feel overwhelmed by it. But let me suggest two things. First, learn what the Bible has to say from others - from your pastor as he preaches, from a Bible class in your church, from Bible teachers on Christian radio, even from books written by gifted Bible teachers. Don't just listen - and then forget. Ask God instead to help you remember what they say, and apply it to your life.

Then set aside a few quiet minutes every day to read your Bible and pray. Take a book of the Bible (such as one of the Gospels), and read a paragraph or so of it each day. Don't worry about the parts of the Bible you don't know; concentrate instead on the parts you can know, as you read a small portion every day.

As you read, ask God to help you understand what it says. For example, if you're reading in one of the Gospels, ask yourself what Jesus was doing or saying on that occasion, and what it tells us about Him. Then ask God to show you what difference it should make in your life.

Send your queries to "My Answer,"?c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit www.billygraham.org.