“As a young man, Lincoln worried that the ‘field of glory’ had been harvested by the founding fathers, that nothing had been left for his generation but modest ambitions.” Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin

My wife, Julie, and I saw Abraham Lincoln’s rustic cabin in central Illinois. We crossed the railroad tracks in Coshocton, Ohio, where president-elect Lincoln’s train passed through on the way to his inauguration. We stood in the balcony of Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC where he was shot.

However, we’ve not endured the loss of two children. The weight of keeping the Union together will never rest on my shoulders. He led through a difficult period of our history when over 600,000 American lives were lost in battle – more than all our other wars, from the Revolution to Iraq combined.

His youthful worry that the field of glory had already been harvested was for nothing. Lincoln stands among the most respected presidents in US history right alongside the Founding Fathers. Why? Because like the Founding Fathers, he yielded to God’s call on his life to lead during times of danger. He attended church, read his Bible and prayed. He stood for right. He graciously and courageously confronted evil in his time.

You and I can do that. You don’t have to be president to yield to God’s call. What did God call you to be? An accountant? A truck driver? A pastor? A mother? All are high callings. Don’t lament that you weren’t called to be something else. Like Lincoln, thrive in your calling. Yield to the power of the Spirit of God. Be gracious and courageous. Stand for right. Defend the helpless.

King David didn’t get angry that he wasn’t allowed to build the temple to Jehovah in Jerusalem. Instead, he went all out preparing for the next guy to do it. He rallied the support of his people. He poured his energy into collecting gold and supplies to make a temple so beautiful it is included in the list of wonders of the ancient world. David didn’t hoard glory. He helped other people get it. It isn’t called David’s Temple, but Solomon’s Temple, but David did the hard work of preparation that made it wondrous.

David got it. He said, “Thine, O LORD, is...the glory...” King David wasn’t after glory. President Lincoln wasn’t after glory. But God gave it to both because their heart was to glorify God. Be faithful where you are. Be yielded to Him. If there is another crop on the field of glory, that’s the only way to harvest it. Just make sure the loaded harvest wagon passes your place and heads straight to God where it belongs.