It was the bloodiest battle in the war, with roughly 7,000 soldiers killed and another 33,000 wounded. Going into the battle of Gettysburg, Union morale was low. General Lee was driving his Confederate army north and into Union territory. If he broke through at Gettysburg, it would be devastating to the Union war effort, yet Lincoln was not worried.
In the days following the battle, Lincoln and his son Tad were visiting wounded soldiers in Washington when General Daniel E. Sickles, who had just had his leg amputated, asked him why he wasn't worried.
Lincoln explained: "In the very pinch of the campaign there, I went to my room one day and got down on my knees and prayed Almighty God for victory at Gettysburg. I told him that this was His country, and the war was His war... and thus, after wrestling with the Almighty in prayer, I don't know how it was, and it is not for me to explain, but somehow or other, a sweet comfort crept into my soul, that God Almighty had taken the whole business there into His hands and we were bound to win at Gettysburg."
"He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God." (Colossians 4:12)
This was the turning point of the war. Lee was forced to return to Virginia, and the Confederates never again launched a major offensive into Union territory. The confidence of the Union troops was bolstered, and Lincoln used the opportunity later in his Gettysburg Address to rally around the cause of liberty and equality, and he called for the healing of the nation.
For Lincoln, prayer wasn't a last resort. It was his most powerful weapon.
Whatever battles you are heading into, slow down and pray.
Take the time to seek God's will and His favor. He always answers. He doesn't always answer right away or in the way we want, but that's His choice to make. Yours is to ask. Trust me, you want Him on your side! The Bible says that the fervent prayers of a righteous man avail much. Pray like the battle depends on it...well, because it does.
Life has a way of putting us in battles we wish we weren't in. Don't go it alone. Ask the Lord to make you fully confident that you are acting in His will and give you what you need for the battle, and you, too, can experience the sweet comfort in your soul that victory is at hand.
