Abraham Lincoln: Man of Faith and Prayer

Many consider Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) to be America's greatest President. His fortitude and devotion through the Civil War preserved the Union and lead to the abolition of slavery throughout the U.S.

He was born in a log cabin in backwoods Hodgenville, Kentucky. He died in Washington, D.C. from an assassin's bullet, shortly after the end of the Civil War, and only five months after his re-election as President.

Lincoln failed in his bid for political office on four occasions. His political failures and life experiences prepared him to be a better President.

His life was not easy. His parents were barely literate. He lost his mother and two sons. He lived in poverty. He was self-taught, homely and gangling. He had over the years worked as a ferry boat operator, a flatboat pilot, an enlisted soldier, an unsuccessful merchandiser, a postmaster, and a lawyer, before being admitted to the bar in 1837.

Lincoln's upright character was primarily due to his strong faith in God through all the adversity.

For ten years he attended the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, the pastor of which was his friend Rev. James Smith. After becoming President, he frequented a number of churches in the Capitol, often more than one on a Sunday.

A small book of Scripture and poetry discovered in 1957 containing the signature "A. Lincoln," is evidence of his deep faith. He carried this little book, The Believer's Daily Treasure; or Texts of scripture arranged for every day of the year (1852, 4th edition), in his vest pocket. He read it as he traveled the Old Eighth Circuit in Illinois, and subsequently as Commander-in-Chief during the tumultuous Civil War.

Lincoln read the Bible throughout his life often quoting it in conversations and in public addresses, and referring to it frequently in his letters. His famous Gettysburg Address (1863), Second Inaugural Address (1865), House Divided Address (1858), and many other speeches contain Scripture and references to the "Almighty God" and the "Heavenly Father."

He used the name of Jesus in his private and public speech, and seems to be the only president to cite the Holy Spirit in a proclamation. Several writers and historians have refuted the idea that he was anything but an orthodox Christian-one who held to the tenets of historical Christianity.

He and his family owned several Bibles. He cherished the Scriptures, proclaiming: "In regard to this great book, I have to say it is the best gift God has given to man." He told a friend, law colleague and biographer L. L. Crittenden, "I decided a long time ago that it was less difficult to believe the Bible was what it claimed to be than to disbelieve it."

In the Washington Cathedral in Washington, D.C., is a statue of Lincoln in an attitude of prayer, done by the sculptor Herbert Spencer Houck. Houck's grandfather, while walking the fields near the Battle of Gettysburg, found Lincoln kneeling in the leaves. The picture of Lincoln was passed on verbally from grandfather to grandson, and became the inspiration for Hauck's statue, "Lincoln in Prayer."

Let us today remember the humble Lincoln, who rose above a life of hardships and sorrows to become one of America's greatest Presidents; one who fervently prayed God and read the his Word, the Bible.

Further Reading:

Commager, Henry Steele, Documents of American History, Volume 1-to 1898, 9th edition, Engllewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1973

Keneally, Thomas, Abraham Lincoln, NY: Penguin Putnam, 2003

McPherson, James M., Abraham Lincoln, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, 77 pages. Best compact, readable portrait of Lincoln by Pulitzer Prize winning author.

Nicolay, John G. A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln, Condensed from Nicolay and Hay's Abraham Lincoln: A History, New York: Century Co., 1902. Further abridged and edited by Paul Angle as Abraham Lincoln: a History, Chicago:University of Chicago Press, 1966

Oates, Stephen B., With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln, New York: Harper & Row, 1977

Wheeler, Joe, Abraham Lincoln: A Man of Faith and Courage, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2008