And without faith it is impossible to please Him. – Hebrews 11:6
On this day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Not even 100 years after the Revolutionary War, the country found itself deeply divided in a civil war, fighting over whether or not slavery would be abolished. Though the Emancipation Proclamation did not end the war, it declared “all persons held as slaves” to be free in the states that seceded. In addition, the proclamation permitted black men to serve in the Union Army, allowing almost 200,000 soldiers of color to fight for freedom by the end of the war. The proclamation also cast a vision for the future that paved the way for the total liberation of enslaved Africans. Pray that God would enable those in federal office today to craft a better future for the nation as President Lincoln endeavored to do.
As the Lord leads, pray with us…
- For governing officials in all three federal branches to consider and uphold the concepts of liberty and justice that won the Civil War.
- For the president and the secretaries in his Cabinet to seek God’s direction in the decisions they make and policies they implement.
