Anne Graham Lotz Says God Used Suffering in Her Life for a Greater Purpose
Anne Graham Lotz has written numerous books throughout her life, but each time she finished one, her father – the late Billy Graham – would encourage her to make the next one about a specific person from the Bible: the Old Testament patriarch Joseph.
Lotz’s new book, God Won't Leave You There: Joseph's Story, is co-authored with daughter Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright and explores how God used the trials and suffering in the life of Joseph to accomplish a greater purpose.
Joseph’s story, they believe, can bring hope to people walking through seasons of pain and uncertainty.
“Every time I wrote a book, my father and my husband were the first ones to read it,” Lotz told Crosswalk Headlines. “And after my father read one of my books, invariably, he would say, ‘The next one you need to write is on Joseph.’ But I never felt the freedom to do it. And I believe God withheld it from me because he wanted me to do it with Rachel Ruth.”
Both women have endured numerous trials, including Anne Graham Lotz’s battle with breast cancer and the sudden death of her husband, as well as Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright’s serious heart problems, including back-to-back heart attacks due to a rare condition known as Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD).
Lotz Wright said she first came up with the idea for the book while teaching through the book of Genesis, before her heart attacks abruptly interrupted the study.
“I should have died [but] God supernaturally kept me alive,” Lotz Wright told Crosswalk Headlines. “... But in the middle of all that, I started teaching my Bible study again. And I got to the story of Joseph, and it just came alive to me, and it meant so much – because mom and I've been through so many things.”
Joseph was one of the youngest sons of Jacob, who was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt, where he served in Potiphar’s house before being falsely accused and thrown into prison. Yet he rose to become a powerful leader after interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, ultimately saving his own family from famine.
“God spoke to him through dreams and visions, and He gave Joseph two dreams that … said that he would be a leader, and even a leader over his family,” Anne Graham Lotz said.
“I believe he clung to that when he was sold into slavery.”
That same trust in God’s promises sustained Lotz during her own hardships, she said.
“God has given us promises – He's given us His Word on which to base our faith. But when you're going through something really awful, you want to be healed. You don't want to hurt anymore or grieve anymore. And that's very normal – but we don't live by our feelings,” she said. “We have to live by our faith, and we put our faith in God's Word. And God has promised us – Psalm 23 – that when you walk through the valley of the shadow, He'll be with you. And Isaiah 40 says when you walk through the waters, He'll be with you. And Hebrews tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us.”
Lotz Wright, too, said she leaned on Scripture during her darkest moments.
“I clung to God's Word, and I couldn't have made it through it without it,” she said. “... God just walked me through a really dark time.”
Anne Graham Lotz reflected on the devastating loss of her husband in 2015.
“I had been married for 49 years, and found my husband unresponsive in our pool, and got him on life support, and then three days later, we released him to go to glory. I would be less than honest if I didn't tell you that I grieved – I still grieve for my husband. And I loved him, and I miss him, and I think of all the things that we could be doing together.
“But you can't stay there. And I think the difference is in your focus. So when I went through breast cancer and the chemo and radiation – I put my focus on Jesus.”
When Lotz underwent chemotherapy treatments, she said, her two daughters would go with her. They shared their faith with medical professionals.
“Those treatments became like mission trips, and we had the opportunity to pray with people in the chemo lounge – or nurses or doctors. And so you can share the Gospel where you go, and see the blessing of God in those difficult places. So I think one of the keys is just getting your eyes off yourself, off your pain, off your circumstances – lifting them up, looking to Jesus and asking how He wants you to handle this.”
Lotz Wright said her trials ultimately deepened her faith.
“Every single thing that happens in our life is for a reason,” she said. “The three years after the heart attacks, when it was so hard, and I cried so much, and I was in so much pain, and doctors were like, ‘I don't know what to tell you’ – it was so difficult, but the struggle is part of God's plan, because I had to struggle to learn that He's trustworthy.
“But now I've learned to my core that He is trustworthy. Don't despise the struggle. Just embrace what God's trying to teach you in the middle of it.”
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Photo Credit: ©Facebook / Anne Graham Lotz
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published May 13, 2026.
