Tragedy, War Led Lincoln To God

The book Did Lincoln Own Slaves? (And Other Frequently Asked Questions About Abraham Lincoln) takes on all of the issues of his life that have evoked curiosity over the 150 years or so since his death. It draws from dozens of the best historical studies of the President's life and presents them in bite-sized chunks.

The facts on Lincoln's frequent usage and apparent deep understanding of the King James version of the Bible reveal how he was able to draw from its wisdom and philosophy in his own life and in his governance of the country.

Here is an excerpt: "In the same 1866 interview with William Herndon where Mary said that her husband 'was not a technical Christian,' whatever that might mean, she also said that 'he was a religious man always' who 'had a Kind of Poetry in his Nature.' Certainly no one who reads the Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln's profound meditation on God's role in earthly events and the proper response thereto, can doubt this."

Lincoln was the consummate politician, but he also acted on his honest beliefs, as his decision to wait to issue the Emancipation Proclamation was based on both waiting for an improvement in the Union's position in the war, as well as in "divine" timing following the bloody battle of Antietam.

"He had made a promise 'to his Maker,' he explained, that he would issue the proclamation if the rebel army were driven out of Maryland, and now he was keeping his promise."

While he was not a church-goer, nor did it appear he was ever baptized, he believed in God and his reverence for the Word grew into true piety as he was tried by the Civil War and the loss of his son. Sometimes such trials are what makes us draw near to God, since His love is the only real source of comfort and peace in this world and beyond.

"He keenly felt the burden of leading a nation in wartime. In addition to bearing the responsibility of sending hundreds of thousands of young men to fight and die, Lincoln mourned for personal friends (lost in the war)...These deaths, and especially that of his son Willie, caused him to look hard for a meaning in all the suffering. He seems to have prayed frequently, not so much by reciting memorized pleas to the Almighty as by trying to discern the will of God so that he could act as his instrument. At some point in the war he put on paper a 'Meditation on the Divine Will.' "

This meditation is one that many people of faith make amid crisis, though they may not realize that Lincoln was in that place long before them. Here it is, as he wrote it:

"The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be wrong. God can not be for, and against the same thing at the same time. In the present civil war it is quite possible that God's purpose is something different from the purpose of either party...He could have either saved or destroyed the Union without a human contest. Yet the contest began. And having begun He could give the final victory to either side any day. Yet the contest proceeds."

Lincoln is known for his intelligence, humor and gentleness in his private and public lives, despite a constant onslaught by critics. But he is best remembered for his strength during events that would stagger anyone. It is a strength that must have come from reading and living by the Word of the Bible.