July 2nd, 2026
by Casey Stanfill
by Casey Stanfill
Abe and the God of Abraham
“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
— Abraham Lincoln, 1862
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday this weekend, I’m reminded of perhaps my favorite president, Abraham Lincoln. Although there has been debate on his motives for emancipation, the reality is that his efforts were some of the most consequential of any president in history. Throughout his presidency, Lincoln endured perhaps the most difficult time of our nation’s history in addition to his own personal struggles with grief and depression in the loss of his two sons, one of which (Willie, 11 years old) died during his presidency. This also deeply affected his wife’s mental sanity, only adding to his burdens. It is said that Lincoln found comfort in the book of Job, which deals with the issue of suffering and submission to God.
In his Second Inaugural Address, just one month before he was assassinated, Lincoln stated that his prayer was “that this mighty scourge of war might speedily pass away.” But in the same breath, he also acknowledged that “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether,” referencing Psalm 19:9.
In other words, Lincoln prayed that the war would end while also acknowledging that God has every right to punish and repay the nation for the injustices of African American slavery.
This reminds me of Psalm 46, which Martin Luther used as inspiration for his famous chorale, A Mighty Fortress is Our God (see my previous article on Bach, Luther, and the Psalms). This Psalm speaks of how God ends wars (v9-10) and how He is our ever-present help and refuge (v1, 11).
This was certainly true for Lincoln. Although there were controversies on his religious views in his early political career, the president would later find a confidant in Pastor Phineas Gurley of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington. Gurley went on record saying that Lincoln did have a clear “conversion to Christ” and that he was often driven to his knees as he had “nowhere else to go.”
I grew up admiring President Lincoln, as many history enthusiasts do, but his outlook on God’s sovereignty and providence only deepened that admiration. His desire was to fully submit to God’s will, no matter how much personal and political affliction came with it. Lincoln’s submission to God was not a means of political gain, but a genuine act of humility in response to a life of brokenness. He even recognized that “each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God,” but that “Both may be, and one must be, wrong.”
What would America look like if we still had political leaders like this who truly submitted to God- not as an act of publicity, but as an act of humility?
What would America look like if we all individually and collectively submitted to God’s ways, no matter the backlash?
How much would God bless our nation?
How much would He reward the faith of His people?
We Christians (as well as nonbelievers) often ask God to bless America, but we don’t want to submit to Him and draw near to Him (James 4:7-8). Although God is merciful, we often don’t want to meet the conditions that warrant His blessing.
If we want God to bless and deliver our nation like He has before, our loyalties must lie with biblical principles above all else- even above the candidates themselves.
If this happened, who knows what the next 250 years will look like for America?
Church, let us follow the example of President Lincoln, submit to God’s will, draw near to Him so that we may be reap the blessings of God in our nation!
To God be the Glory,
Bro. Casey Stanfill
Sources:
Carwardine, Richard J. “Lincoln, Evangelical Religion, and American Political Culture in the Era of the Civil War.” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 18, no. 1 (1997): 27–55. [quod.lib.umich.edu]
Lincoln, Abraham. “Meditation on the Divine Will.” September 1862. In The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy P. Basler. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1953. [Abraham Li...ivine Will]
Lopez, Sergio. “What Abraham Lincoln Found Reading the Book of Job amid Civil War.” America Magazine, November 3, 2020. [americamagazine.org]
Piper, John. “Abraham Lincoln’s Path to Divine Providence.” Desiring God, February 12, 2008. [desiringgod.org]
“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
— Abraham Lincoln, 1862
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday this weekend, I’m reminded of perhaps my favorite president, Abraham Lincoln. Although there has been debate on his motives for emancipation, the reality is that his efforts were some of the most consequential of any president in history. Throughout his presidency, Lincoln endured perhaps the most difficult time of our nation’s history in addition to his own personal struggles with grief and depression in the loss of his two sons, one of which (Willie, 11 years old) died during his presidency. This also deeply affected his wife’s mental sanity, only adding to his burdens. It is said that Lincoln found comfort in the book of Job, which deals with the issue of suffering and submission to God.
In his Second Inaugural Address, just one month before he was assassinated, Lincoln stated that his prayer was “that this mighty scourge of war might speedily pass away.” But in the same breath, he also acknowledged that “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether,” referencing Psalm 19:9.
In other words, Lincoln prayed that the war would end while also acknowledging that God has every right to punish and repay the nation for the injustices of African American slavery.
This reminds me of Psalm 46, which Martin Luther used as inspiration for his famous chorale, A Mighty Fortress is Our God (see my previous article on Bach, Luther, and the Psalms). This Psalm speaks of how God ends wars (v9-10) and how He is our ever-present help and refuge (v1, 11).
This was certainly true for Lincoln. Although there were controversies on his religious views in his early political career, the president would later find a confidant in Pastor Phineas Gurley of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington. Gurley went on record saying that Lincoln did have a clear “conversion to Christ” and that he was often driven to his knees as he had “nowhere else to go.”
I grew up admiring President Lincoln, as many history enthusiasts do, but his outlook on God’s sovereignty and providence only deepened that admiration. His desire was to fully submit to God’s will, no matter how much personal and political affliction came with it. Lincoln’s submission to God was not a means of political gain, but a genuine act of humility in response to a life of brokenness. He even recognized that “each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God,” but that “Both may be, and one must be, wrong.”
What would America look like if we still had political leaders like this who truly submitted to God- not as an act of publicity, but as an act of humility?
What would America look like if we all individually and collectively submitted to God’s ways, no matter the backlash?
How much would God bless our nation?
How much would He reward the faith of His people?
We Christians (as well as nonbelievers) often ask God to bless America, but we don’t want to submit to Him and draw near to Him (James 4:7-8). Although God is merciful, we often don’t want to meet the conditions that warrant His blessing.
If we want God to bless and deliver our nation like He has before, our loyalties must lie with biblical principles above all else- even above the candidates themselves.
If this happened, who knows what the next 250 years will look like for America?
Church, let us follow the example of President Lincoln, submit to God’s will, draw near to Him so that we may be reap the blessings of God in our nation!
To God be the Glory,
Bro. Casey Stanfill
Sources:
Carwardine, Richard J. “Lincoln, Evangelical Religion, and American Political Culture in the Era of the Civil War.” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 18, no. 1 (1997): 27–55. [quod.lib.umich.edu]
Lincoln, Abraham. “Meditation on the Divine Will.” September 1862. In The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy P. Basler. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1953. [Abraham Li...ivine Will]
Lopez, Sergio. “What Abraham Lincoln Found Reading the Book of Job amid Civil War.” America Magazine, November 3, 2020. [americamagazine.org]
Piper, John. “Abraham Lincoln’s Path to Divine Providence.” Desiring God, February 12, 2008. [desiringgod.org]
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