Abraham
Lincoln and the Holy Land
“For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my
life to the ground; He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have
long been dead.” Psalm 143:3, NASB
Well, that’s not a Bible verse anyone will put on their refrigerator!
And yet we go through those seasons when we feel exactly that
– crushed, forsaken, “Where are You, Lord” times in our lives. So, then what?
Abraham Lincoln, our beloved 16th American president,
was known to have had “melancholy”—or simply depression. We can certainly
understand why, amid the Civil War, his young son’s death, and his wife Martha’s
health issues.
I have several books on my bookcase and have read most of
them. They are not just for show.
Though he was not known as a churchgoer, he did call upon the
Name of the Lord Jesus for guidance, courage, and fortitude to stand for
righteousness in many political and life situations. Battered, hated, and later
assassinated, he did seek the Lord in his times of depression and melancholy.
On his deathbed, it has been written that Lincoln spoke these
words to his wife, Martha, as she drew near with her ear.
“A strong case can be made, based
on the “Personal Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln” (kept at the Illinois State
Historical Library), a manuscript Noyes W. Miner, pastor of the First Baptist
Church in Springfield, Illinois, who wrote of his conversations with Mary Todd
Lincoln in 1882, and several other references, that these were Abraham
Lincoln’s last words:
“We will visit the Holy Land
and see those places hallowed by the footsteps of the Savior. There is no city on
earth I so much desire to see as Jerusalem.”
These are
the words that follow in the manuscript: "and with that word half spoken on his tongue, the bullet
from the pistol of the assassin’s entered his brain, and the soul of the great
and good President was carried by the Angels to the New Jerusalem & above.” (see here: Abraham
Lincoln's Last Words)
There are at least ten fascinating facts about Lincoln and the Jews. Look here for more: Lincoln and the Jews. But that is for another day, another message.
We can all admire President Abraham Lincoln for the life he
led and the courage he displayed, even as he fought spiritual and natural
battles most of his life. And while I am on the subject, we can also give thanks
to the Lord for the great President Donald J. Trump, who is to our country, and
his ongoing support for Israel and our Jewish friends in their Land.
Ahava and shalom,
Steve Martin, Love For His People in Charlotte, North
Carolina
Message #8, 2026, “Abraham
Lincoln and the Holy Land”, Feb. 26,
2026, 11:30 am
#AbrahamLincoln #HolyLand #message #SteveMartin #melancholy #depression #courage #Jerusalem #Israel, #Jesus
