What We Should Learn From Abraham Lincoln

In the midst of the horrors of the Civil War, Senator James Harlan, introduced a Resolution in the Senate on March 2, 1863. The Resolution asked President Lincoln to proclaim a national day of prayer and fasting to restore healing over the nation. The nation was being ripped apart by the Civil War as brother fought against brother, father against son, neighbor against neighbor.  Sound eerily familiar to what is happening today?

The Senator’s Resolution stated:
"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness…
All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.”*

Senator Harlan recognized the need for God’s divine intervention to restore and unite a country divided. Abraham Lincoln agreed, so he issued A Proclamation of a Day of Fasting. Abraham Lincoln wrote:

“And whereas, when our own beloved Country, once, by the blessing of God, united, prosperous and happy, is now afflicted with faction and civil war, it is peculiarly fit for us to recognize the hand of God in this terrible visitation, and in sorrowful remembrance of our own faults and crimes as a nation and as individuals, to humble ourselves before Him, and to pray for His mercy, -- to pray that we may be spared further punishment, though most justly deserved; that our arms may be blessed and made effectual for the re-establishment of law, order and peace, throughout the wide extent of our country; and that the inestimable boon of civil and religious liberty, earned under His guidance and blessing, by the labors and sufferings of our fathers, may be restored in all its original excellence: --
Therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do appoint the last Thursday in September next, as a day of humiliation, prayer and fasting for all the people of the nation. And I do earnestly recommend to all the People, and especially to all ministers and teachers of religion of all denominations, and to all heads of families, to observe and keep that day according to their several creeds and modes of worship, in all humility and with all religious solemnity, to the end that the united prayer of the nation may ascend to the Throne of Grace and bring down plentiful blessings upon our Country.”**

Today, as civil unrest is erupting on our streets, let us learn from Abraham Lincoln and history what it takes to heal a nation divided – united, national prayer and fasting. “Abraham Lincoln led the US through the Civil War – its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis. In doings so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy.” Quote from https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/proclamation-of-national-day-of-prayer-and-fasting/

God will bless a nation who humbles itself, repents, and prays.  We are in the midst of a modern day civil war as brother is fighting against brother, father against son, and neighbor against neighbor. Not only in the street as riots and violent protests have broken out but on social media as friendships have ended, family ties have been strained, and words have been spoken that cannot be taken back.

If the nation can heal from the bloodiest war in American history, we can heal from the results of an election. We need to stop seeing one another as the enemy, as left and right, blue and red. We need to see each other as fellow Americans, all wanting the same thing: a safe, prosperous, free, flourishing country that is best for our children and grandchildren.

Will you join me in praying daily and fasting at least once a week for our nation, from now until the inauguration on January 20, 2017?
Pray for divine protection over our nation from spiritual and physical attacks of the enemy. Pray no weapon formed against us will prosper.
Pray for peace, righteousness, and justice to be restored in our city streets.
Pray for the safety and security of our law enforcement officers and first defenders.
Pray for economic blessings so that those who are without work can return to work.
Pray for wisdom, courage, and integrity in our political leaders.
Pray for a peaceful transition of power from now until the inauguration.
Pray for healing in relationships among friends, family, and communities.
Pray the spirit of fear, coming from the enemy, is lifted from our nation and individuals. And, for the spirit of peace, courage, and sound mind that comes from God to flow over our nation and into the hearts and minds of the people.
And like Abraham Lincoln, let us pray the “united prayer of the nation ascend to the Throne of Grace and bring down plentiful blessings upon our Country”, in Jesus Name. Amen.

Love,
Yolanda

*http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/fast.htm

**http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/proc-3.htm