On this day in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president.

Without a doubt, Abraham Lincoln is counted among America’s greatest presidents. His firm belief that the government should be a positive force to serve people guided him through his life and was at the heart of his desire to become president of the United States.

But it was not a goal that Lincoln easily or quickly achieved. His career path was littered with setbacks and failures. In his first attempt at running for political office as a state representative in 1832, Lincoln finished eighth out of 13. So he returned to practicing law. Then he won a seat in the Illinois Legislature in 1834.

Over the next decade, however, Lincoln suffered numerous business and political setbacks. During that time Lincoln’s sweetheart died, he suffered a nervous breakdown, and he was defeated for Speaker of the Illinois House. Lincoln was overlooked for the nomination for U.S. Congress in 1843. He was elected three years later, but lost his renomination bid two years after that. In 1854, he was defeated for the U.S. Senate, denied the nomination for Vice President in 1856, and again defeated for U.S. Senate in 1858.

With so many failures in his life no one would have blamed Lincoln for giving up and going back to his law practice. But because he was determined to achieve his political goals and dreams, Lincoln never gave up. Though he was knocked down repeatedly, Lincoln continued to get back up and continue on.

That is the very promise that God gives to us in Psalm 37:24. Read it for yourself. God’s promise is that he watches over every step we take. When we stumble, when we fail and suffer setbacks, God is there to help us keep going. He promises to hold on tightly to our hands and lead us on.

So next time you fail at reaching your goal, remember Abe and his persistence. Then remember the One who will hold you up and keep you going!

Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand (Psalm 37:24).

To Do

What failure have you experienced lately? Think about how you can use that experience to help you in achieving your goals.

Also on this day

Today is Saxophone Day.

1861—James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, was born.

1952—The first hydrogen bomb was exploded at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.