Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln

February was a busy month for the Committee of Naming Holidays. The month began with Groundhogs Day, so named because the Committee met on the second day of the month and the head of the committee hogged up the ground they were sitting on and would not let anyone near him. The Committee noticed that when Mardi Gras ended they would burn the floats to ashes on a Wednesday, which led to the name Ash Wednesday. The President of Hallmark realized there was a downturn in sales in the month of February and tried wanted a holiday between Christmas and Mothers Day. He approached the Committee and since his name was Bob Valentine and he met with them on the 14th, another holiday was created.
Two of the United States greatest Presidents were also born in February: William Henry Harrison and Ronald Reagan. OK, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington were born in February. Since the Committee did not want the Post Office closed all those times to celebrate the birth of the Presidents, they created Presidents Day.
During one of the most trying times of American History, Abraham Lincoln was President. A nation not yet one hundred years ole was tearing itself apart. Then on July 4, 1863, the eighty-seventh birthday of the nation, he gave the most important speech in American History. Though the speech was less than five minutes in length, something current Presidents may consider, it had a huge impact on the future of the nation.
Many people know the beginning, “Four score and seven years ago.” Many people know the end, “and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” One phrase that Lincoln uttered, that many people are not familiar with is, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.”
Abraham Lincoln was a man of deep faith. When the Civil War did not appear to wane, Lincoln issued a proclamation, which included part of Psalm 33:12. It stated, “Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation. And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
Lincoln wrote many prayers in his journal. Many times he would tell people how he began his day, “Before I rise to my feet, I begin my day on my knees.”
Abraham Lincoln served during one of the darkest times in American History. He was not afraid to call on the name of the Lord for assistance.
February 12th is Lincoln’s birthday. As our nation again is divided on many issues, let us follow Lincolns lead. Let us begin our day in solemn prayer and turn towards God for guidance. Our nation can once again be blessed if we make God our Lord as it is written, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12 NIV)