Stoicism & Atheism

I'm an atheist. It's a little bit hard to make it through some Stoic writings, since they tend to reference God quite a bit. Sometimes, though, they make it apparent that even if you don't believe, Stoicism can still make sense. Marcus Aurelius writes

If Providence watches over all and may be inclined to mercy, render thyself worthy of celestial aid. But if leaderless chaos be all, rest content that in the midst of this storm-swept sea Reason still dwells and rules within three. And if the tide swirl thee away, let it take thy flesh and spirit, with all the rest; for Reason it cannot take.

I appreciate these little tidbits for the atheists. Since Marcus Aurelius wrote these meditations for himself, perhaps he himself was not quite sure of the true nature of things. It may be that sometimes he lost faith the divine powers, but with this line of logic, he can be sure that he still proceed according to reason. Or maybe he was just hedging his bets. He personally believed, but allowed for the possibility that he might not be right.