Lincoln's Faith in Prayer
The faith and power in prayer of Abraham Lincoln were illustrated by a personal reminiscence which Gen. Daniel E. Sickles gave in Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, recently. President Lincoln visited General Sickles in the military hospital in Washington to which the general had been carried with one chance in five hundred to live, after a bullet at Gettysburg had shattered his right leg. "Sickles, I couldn't help coming to see you as soon as I heard of your arrival," President Lincoln said. "I never prayed so fervently for anything in my life as for success for our arms at Gettysburg. As I prayed, a feeling of peace came over me, and I rose sure of victory, for I knew that God had answered 'Yes' to me and would be with us on the field. Now, I am in prophetic mood. The doctors say you have one chance in five hundred to recover. I say you will get over this trouble, that you will outlive the war, and will be able to serve your country in years to come."—Selected.