Article By: Iyo_Embong

Abraham Lincoln is a powerful mental health hero for me. Every time I read some article about him, I come away with new insights. I’m always intrigued by Lincoln’s faith – and how he read the Book of Job when he needed redirection.

Throughout his life Lincoln’s response to suffering – for all the success it brought him – led to greater suffering still. When he was a young man he stepped back from the brink of suicide, deciding that he must live to do some meaningful work, this sense of purpose sustained him; but it also led him into a wilderness of doubt and dismay, as he asked, with vexation, what work he would do and how he would do it. This pattern was repeated in the 1850s, when his work against the extension of slavery gave him a sense of purpose but also fuelled a nagging sense of failure. Then, finally, political success led him to the White House, where he was tested as few had been before.

Lincoln responded with both humility and determination. The humility came from a sense that whatever ship carried him on life’s rough waters, he was not the captain but merely a subject of the divine force-call it fate or God or the “Almighty Architect” of existence. The determination came from a sense that however humble his station, Lincoln was no idle passenger but a sailor on deck with a job to do. In his strange combination of profound deference to divine authority and a wilful exercise of his own meager power, Lincoln achieved transcendent wisdom.

There are moments in life that are crossroads, whether expected or unexpected. We may feel like we are at the bottom of a well of despair, that we cannot find our way out of depression, or grief or discouragement. We simply feel as though we have no energy or that there is little to look forward to. The rest of the world is going forward and we are feeling stuck, others achieve monumental goals, while we plod along barely placing one foot in front of another.

Then, supernaturally, we are lifted out of that place and find ourselves on a mountaintop of joy! Some news comes, or a sign that things are working on a level that we could not fathom or see and some miraculous breakthrough appears where we dared not to dream! Everything shifts, seemingly in an instant, to the good, both ours and that of others. We have new strength to dare to dream again and go on!

How does this happen? It is the result of prayers, a connection with God, the Highest Power in the universe in accordance with His nature and will, which is for our good. Faith is meant to stretch us to the end of ourselves and than transform us through circumstances we cannot figure out or handle. There must be a vision larger than our capabilities wherein we require divine intervention to transition to higher levels of wisdom and understanding.

Sometimes these prayers are ours; sometimes we share our requests or pain with others who carry our burden by praying for us. Since Jesus is always talking to God about us and asking for help for us from God, even when we can’t express our needs, we can be sure that God is answering them in His time in His way for our good. I have found that when I think the answer is far off, it is often just when I give up my own demanding that they are answered sooner than I think. That is why you hear people say “let go and let God”, because when we do, He does handle it beyond our expectations, whether we are paying attention or not.

In prayer, we admit our inadequacies and inability, not in false humility, but in humble assessment that we cannot live this life as isolated islands without help. We were created to live in community with others and communion with the One who thought of us before the foundation of time. It is unexplainable scientifically, although many propose ridiculous theories of every aspect of creation. We embrace the lie that there is no God and we lose ALL HOPE.

Man without God, is wandering aimlessly through life with no direction, or relevance, or necessity for morality. Our world is in ruins, not because of the standards for decent living in relationship to God and our fellow man, but because of the blatant disregard for the truth established from the beginning of time.

Sometimes the eyes of our faith grow dim. And then we struggle with doubt. Maybe you have been looking for answers in the wrong places, because you stared yourself blind on the promises and lures of wealth, prestige, or stature. Or maybe you were only looking to yourself to make sense out of life and to overcome the challenges of life. No matter what anyone else judges us to be, with God there is always hope. We belong to a larger family, and no one can take that from us. So in FAITH hold on to your HOPE, God is holding on to you, and He never gives up on whatever He appointed and anointed you to do.

Article By: Iyo_Embong