Harding was the first of the post-World War I presidents. And he was considered the country’s worst commander in chief, allowing the nation to slip into corruption that flourished in his administration. He showed little intellect or forceful leadership. And yet God would later on get a hold of him spiritually.
As a college student Harding flirted with atheism, but as he entered politics, he seemed to have a conversion and became a regular worshipper in the Baptist Church. After being elected President in 1920, he is reportedly to have said: “It is not time for exultation but for prayer to God to make me capable of playing my part,” but his administration seemed to go downhill from there.
In 1922 his wife, Florence, who was ambitious for him, came down with kidney disease, and for some time, lapsed in and out of a comma. When he realized he was going to lose her, he sat outside of her sickroom and “obsessively” recited the 121st Psalm over and over again. This Psalm appealed to the Lord’s Divine Providence: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” By the end of September, Florence had recovered considerably and began to function normally, though kidney failure ultimately took her life.
After her recovery, Harding died in San Francisco while returning from a trip to Alaska. How he died we are not sure. Some have surmised from the pressure of his administration scandals. Historians can only speculate because there was no autopsy performed after his death. Many are unsure of Harding’s salvation. If he was a true believer in Christ his spiritual carnality got the better of him in the final years of his life.
