IN
GOD WE TRUST
There
is a movement afoot among American atheists to have the words "In
God We Trust" removed from our currency and any other public
documents. While their constituency is clearly in the minority,
their voice continues to grow louder in the persistency of their
cause. If they ever become successful in accomplishing their
mission, doubtless many would ever notice the sad change in our
currency. The removal of those words that many have held dear, even
from the early days of the founding fathers of this nation, would
only mark the disdain of a relative few who reject God. It is my
sincerest hope and prayer that we nor our descendants should ever see
the day when the voice of a few succeeds in dictating the sentiments
of the majority based on their own godless convictions. (It is my
own personal
opinion that any who are offended by those who wish to honor the God
of heaven by acknowledging our trust in Him from whom we have been
abundantly blessed as a nation, - be encouraged to move away and live
in another country where their laws and constitution are not
founded upon faith in God. They
just might find out what they have been missing!)
Those
words on our currency is a reminder to us that we are to "render...to
God the things that are God's" (Mt. 22:21), "honor to whom
honor" is due (Rom. 13:7). But should those words "In God
We Trust" ever be successfully removed from every piece of
currency and every public document (God forbid), it must be
remembered that those are not just words printed with ink upon paper
or impressed into the metal of a coin. Those words have true meaning
only when they are held indelibly in the hearts of men and women of
faith. If those words ever become a mere platitude wherein they are
finally nothing more than the expression of a cliche, it can never
quiet the expression of the hearts of those whose lips praise His
worthy name until the last breath of our mortal body is drawn.
That
being true, it should be made clear to all that any nation who
refuses to acknowledge God and put their trust in Him is built on
sinking sand. Such is not a matter of freedom of religion to be
debated by its detractors. It is a matter of truth based upon fact
and confirmed by the proof of human history. The nation of Israel is
a case in point where the importance of trust in God is born out in
their early failures to learn faith's lesson.
Only
three days after having witnessed God's miracle of parting the waters
of the Red Sea and experiencing its crossing, the Israelites
complained of having no water to drink (Ex. 15:22-26). So God gave
them an abundance of water. Then, only two and a half months later,
they complained of not having food to eat (Ex. 16:1-3) So God gave
them food. But the manner in which He did so was not only a
demonstration of His providence, but it was an object lesson to
instill trust
in Him.
This
food was something they had never seen before, because "...in
the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of
dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small
round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the
children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 'What is it?'
For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, 'This is
the bread which the Lord has given you to eat." (Ex. 16:14-15)
"And the house of Israel called its name Manna. [lit. what
is it]
And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like
wafers made with honey." (vs. 31)
Now
consider the instructions that was given to the people regarding the
gathering of this manna; "This is the thing which the Lord has
commanded: 'Let every man gather it according to each one's need, one
omer [about
2 quarts]
for each person...And Moses said, 'Let no one leave any of it till
morning.' Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them
left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And
Moses was angry with them." (Ex. 16:16, 19-20)
It
is obvious that God was wanting them to learn to trust Him to meet
their needs on a daily basis. However, it became quickly evident
that some did not trust Him and therefore they saved some for the
next day - just
in case.
It didn't take them long to learn this initial lesson. "So
they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And
when the sun became hot, it melted." (vs. 20)
No
sooner than they learned this lesson, their faith and trust was again
tested. "And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered
twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of
the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, 'This is
what the Lord has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath
to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will
boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until
morning.' So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and
it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said,
'eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today
you will not find it in the field.
Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath,
there will be none.' Now
it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to
gather, but they found none."
(vss. 22-27) This was obviously another lesson on trust which they
had to learn and which they initially failed by not heeding God's
instructions. While the circumstances defied the consequences of
manna being held over on any of the other five days, manna held over
from the sixth day remained edible. They were to learn to trust
God's provisions according to His pattern.
Prior
to entering the promised land, after having wandered in the
wilderness for forty years, the Israelites were reminded of why God
had tested them as He had regarding their gathering of the manna;
"So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with
manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that
He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but
man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yahweh.
Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these
forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens
his son, so Yahweh your God chastens you. Therefore you shall keep
the commandments of Yahweh your God, to walk in His ways and to fear
Him." (Deut. 8:3-6) When Moses wrote that "...man shall not
live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from
the mouth of Yahweh" (Deut. 8:3), it was intended as a reminder
to the Israelites that God had allowed them to experience hunger in
the wilderness in order for them to appreciate the manna that He had
provided for them during their forty year pilgrimage. It was a
reminder to them that their arrival at the promised land was the work
of God's providence, without which they would not have been alive to
hear Moses' words.
While
food only temporarily satisfies the flesh, the word of God is
essential to the eternal soul of man. Therefore, Moses continued by
warning them to "Beware
that you do not forget Yahweh your God by not keeping His
commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you
today. lest
- when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses
and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and
your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is
multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget Yahweh your
God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of
bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in
which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there
was no water; who brought water to you out of the flinty rock; who
fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not
know, that He might test you, to do you good in the end - then
you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gained
me this wealth.' And
you shall remember Yahweh your God, for it is He who gives you power
to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to
your fathers, as it is this day. Then
it shall be, if you by any means forget Yahweh your God, and follow
other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you
this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which Yahweh
destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be
obedient to the voice of Yahweh your God."
(Deut. 8:11-20)
As
a young nation on the eve of celebrating 230 years, we ought to give
sober consideration to those words that were spoken to a nation who
had only experienced their independence 40 years earlier. Since our
independence was declared, God has blessed us as a nation with an
abundance of food so that we "have eaten and are full." We
have been blessed with "beautiful houses and dwell in them."
As a nation we have experienced an abundance of wealth so that our
wealth is "multiplied and all that [we] have is multiplied."
This being the case, it is ever more evident that as a nation, our
"heart is lifted up" and we have forgotten God who brought
us to this land. He has allowed us to experience the trials of two
world wars where we, as a nation, unselfishly locked arms together to
sacrifice for the common cause of liberty and freedom. Through every
trial He has delivered us and continued to bless us. But alas, there
is an arrogance among us that is raising its head and declaring
"[our] power and the might of [our] hand [has] gained [us] this
wealth."
Is
the handwriting on the wall for us as a nation? Have we become so
blind as not to see? Solomon wrote, "He who trusts in his own
heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered."
(Prov. 28:26) As a nation have we become the fool who trusts in his
own heart, rather than in God whom we once trusted? Are we lulled
into a false sense of security by empty words of assurance as the
remnant-nation of Judah was, saying, "Peace, Peace! When there
is no peace." (Jer. 6:14)?
Consider
the description of that nation who was the descendant of those who
had heard Moses' warnings some eight hundred years earlier; "Were
they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not
at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush..." (Jer. 6:15)
An ungodly lifestyle is manifest testimony to an absence of trust in
God.
At
the close of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi addressed a
nation that was a mere remnant of that which had claimed its
independence from Egyptian bondage almost nine hundred years earlier.
They had become blind to God's mercy and His providence. Hear the
lament of their sad condition; "'I have loved you,' says Yahweh.
'Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?'" (Mal. 1:2) "'A
son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the
Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My
reverence?' says Yahweh of hosts to you priests who despise My name.
Yet you say, 'In what way have we despised Your name?'" (Mal.
1:6) A reading of the rest of that chapter is an eye opener to their
spiritual blindness and their apathy.
Where
is God's honor? We might ask that same question as the words "In
God We Trust" hang in the balance between the forces of
ungodliness and faith. As this conflict ensues, what can we as His
children do? "Thus says the Lord, 'Stand in the ways and see,
and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it;
then you will find rest for your souls..." (Jer. 6:16) As
individual citizens of a land that has been blessed by God - a land
from which the gospel has been sent abroad by the mercies of God and
His unfathomable providence - we are bound by duty and love's
conviction to make those words "In God We Trust" more than
a motto. They must forever be the statement of our heart's
conviction without regard to what the rest of the world demonstrates.
Solomon,
in the wisdom of God, wrote,"Trust in the Lord with all your
heart; and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path." (Prov. 3:5) In
the collective application of those words is the hope of a nation in
need of the preserving quality of her godly citizenry who is its
salt. As surely as God would spare the wicked city of Sodom for the
sake of just ten souls (Gen. 18), He acts on behalf of those who
diligently seek Him.
Jesus
said, in regard to the physically necessary things of life, "Seek
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things
shall be added to you." (Mt. 6:33) then said not to worry about
the rest. (vs. 34) When "In God We Trust" becomes the
comforting conviction of our heart and actions, they will no longer
be mere lip service.
. -
Gary V. Womack - June 2006