Lincoln did believe in an all-powerful God that shaped events and by 1865 was expressing that belief in major speeches.
lˈɪŋkən dˈɪd bᵻlˈiːv ɪn ɐn ˈɔːlpˈaʊɚfəl ɡˈɑːd ðæt ʃˈeɪpt ᵻvˈɛnts ænd baɪ wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti fˈaɪv wʌz ɛkspɹˈɛsɪŋ ðæt bᵻlˈiːf ɪn mˈeɪdʒɚ spˈiːtʃᵻz.