O
N
ne
ation
| Under God |
In God We Trust
by Tony Edwards
If we were to look into the window of history, it can clearly be seen that our country has been shaken from its foundation.
From the thunderous cries of atheist, agnostics, and skeptics over the years, has come waves of charted bombardments.
These attacks are not unintentional but well defined with a purpose. That purpose is to alleviate, to the point of silence,
God in our country.
With many of these leveled attacks coming from well educated people in high places, there are those in America who
have begun to ask, is it really important to have on our coins, in our classrooms, in our federal buildings, and as our
national motto, the phrase “In God We Trust?”
With a reverberating YES, I can convincingly answer that question. And a quick look from our country’s historical
perspective and a child of God’s Christian perspective will reveal the relevance of “In God We Trust” to our nation.
From A Nation’s Perspective
To the United States, “In God We Trust” represents a country that has come to depend on God Almighty. For a nation that
has endured and conquered many obstacles, “In God We Trust” is a given. A glimpse
into history can explain why this is the case.
The U.S. was first organized under the Articles of Confederation (1781), then finally under the Constitution (1787) as a
federal republic.” 1 From this humble beginning, our nation has become the greatest country on earth. This achievement,
however, was not an accident but came with much toil and conflict.
There are two reasons why our nation is great: her lands and her citizens.
The United States’ lands are great because of their history. Every piece of property on which we are privileged to walk,
ride, or even sleep upon, came with a price. In 1803, the United States paid $15 million dollars to France for the purchase
of territory that “extended from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to British
America (Canada).” 2 Money, however, was not always the means by which land was obtained. The War of 1812,
between the U.S. and Britain, is an example of land gained because individuals gave their lives for the benefit of their
country.
The United States’ citizens are also great because of their history. Though many inequalities existed among the people,
disparity among African and Caucasian Americans could very well have been the biggest mile stone for this nation to
overcome. Although slavery of some form or another has always existed among the human race, abolitionists who lived in
years gone by sought to rid the land of this practice and rightfully so. From the tensions that led to the American Civil War,
which climaxed in the battle at Gettysburg, to the Civil Rights Movement, sparked by continuous unrest between black and
white Americans, men of both races showed great courage, endurance, and faith, the very things that make our people
great today.
Yet, with all of the greatness that our nation has attained, men have always held God as the soul consecrator of these
blessings. Since the beginning of our nation, the faith of religious people has had a profound influence upon our
government. For instance, in November of 1861, a man by the name of M. R. Watkinson wrote a letter to the Secretary of
the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, urging him to recognize God on the U. S. coins. According to Mr. Watkinson, placing
some kind of reference to God on U. S. coins was necessary. He writes, “This would relieve us from the ignominy of
heathenism. This would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed.” 3
It was with this thought in mind that Salmon responded by sending a message to the Director of the Mint, at Philadelphia,
to prepare a motto. His words were, “No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His
defense.” 4
Conviction about God, during this time, was so strong that religious people were not going to allow the government or any
one else to undermine the Lord of Hosts. Consequently, the phrase “In God We Trust” was determined to be the motto and
since 1938, all U. S. coins have carried these timely words.
This phrase was so precious and true and core to what people in America believed, that on July 30, 1956, it was
approved as the national motto for the United States. Is there any wonder then, why our national anthem has within the
fourth verse these words, “Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
and this be our motto: “In God is our Trust?” 5
Without a doubt, “In God We Trust” is relevant to our nation!
From A Christian’s Perspective
To a child of God “In God We Trust” is an expression of life. It signifies the location of and limitation to our trust. The
Psalmist proclaims, “How precious is Your loving kindness, O God! Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the
shadow of Your wings” (36:7).
Yes, because of God’s unending love for us, ultimately expressed in the sending of His only begotten Son, our trust in
located in Him. This we do not of necessity but out of respect, love, and reverence for the One who sent His Son to die for
us “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).
As to limitation, true believers understand that nothing else on this earth or beyond is worthy of our trust. Living in such an
affluent society, we must be careful to never let the possessions that we have obtained lead us to the conclusion that we
no longer need God. In Luke 12:20, a rich man was called a fool, not because he was rich, but because he trusted in
himself and his riches rather than “In God.” In the Old Testament book of Daniel, we find another account about
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Like many, Nebuchadnezzar attributed his success and glory to his own strength.
Before his subjects, in the Babylonian empire, the king paraded and shouted, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for
the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty” (Daniel 4:30)?
It was not long after this grand old speech that God drove him into the wilderness to graze with the beasts of the field. God
told him that this sentence would be in place until he realized “that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it
to whomever He chooses” (4:32).
No matter how much or how far we have come, Christians always trust in God and acknowledge Him as the source of their
prosperity. Paul uttered, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That
your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:2, 5). The Old Testament prophet,
Jeremiah made a similar statement: “Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his
strength, whose heart departs from the LORD.” “Blessed is the man that trusteth In the LORD, and whose hope the LORD
is” (17:5, 7).
Furthermore, Christians are not blinded by military might. It is true that the U.S. has the greatest military in the world.
People of faith, however, still understand that the military is great because of God’s providence. We must never be fooled
by POWER. To prevent this type of thinking in the days of the Judges, God decrease the army of Gideon from 32,000 to
300. The Lord’s reasoning behind this move was to keep the people from saying, “My own hand has saved me” (Judges 7:
2). We all should be like the Psalmist who said, “I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me” (44:6). Paul added,
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty In God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). When
the last war is fought, the last bullet is fired, or the last nation is conquered God will still be in control.
Yes, throughout time the oil of materialism, atheism, agnosticism, and skepticism has fueled people to place their trust in
things other than God—undoing the limitation. Though this oil has fueled many, it also has impaired many people’s ability
to put their trust in the proper location, namely, “In God.” But at the end of the day the true believer, in the midst of such
perplexities can say “In the LORD I put my trust” (Psalms 11:1).
Once again, without a doubt, “In God We Trust” is relevant to our nation!
Conclusion
The fact that we live in a country so great, requires that she endure opposition—for, true greatness comes with many
sacrifices. These sacrifices, however, should not be the tearing down of our spiritual values or giving up the principles on
which our nation was founded or the God who brought us this far. But these sacrifices should come by way of ridicule
hurled at Christians who refuse to be silent while the opposition is shrill. These sacrifices should be Christians standing up
in the midst of many rising evils, to openly proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ and God’s disdain for sin.
Many litigations insisting that the word God be moved from every aspect of our nation’s activities has cause many
religious principles, obtained from the Holy Bible, on which our great country was founded, to be abandoned. As Noah
Webster once said, “The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scripture ought to form the basis of all civil
constitutions and laws.” And “All the miseries and evils which men suffer from – vice, crime, ambition, injustice,
oppression, slavery, and war – proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.” 6
What will it take for the people of our great nation, once again, to arise and proclaim “In God We Trust” as patriots of old?
Will we wait until the freedom of expressing God’s wonderful truths is stripped from us in the night, by lawmakers, lawyers,
and judges, with hidden agendas? Or, will we take measures to ensure the continuation of our national motto for
generations to come. Make no mistake about it, there are many who want God off of our money, out of the pledge of
allegiance, and at last they want Him cut out of the historical documents that so vividly depict a nation dependent upon the
sovereign Almighty.
Men and women all over this vast world know of our faith in the one and true God. Whenever our currency leaves the
secure walls of a bank, to travel from person to person, state to state, country to country, our beacon of light forever
reminds them of our faith—“In God We Trust.” We must be people willing to stand in the gap on behalf of the land (Ezekiel
22:30).
A prayer was once formed by the Union Free School District in Hyde Park, New York. Though this prayer was struck down
by the U. S. Supreme Court in 1962, its principle will be pertinent as long as this world stands. “Almighty God, we
acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country.”
Let’s continue to profess aloud our trust in God and seek to influence those who would otherwise try to silence the reason
of our hope. “In God We Trust” was relevant throughout history, it’s relevant now, and will be forevermore.
Works Cited:
1 United States.Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved, November 6, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 CD. .
2 IBID
3 Fact Sheets: Currency & Coins. History of ‘In God We Trust’. Retrieved, November 5, 2007, from http://www.ustreas.
gov/ education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.shtml
4 IBID
5 U. S. Department of Education. The Star-Spangled Banner. Retrieved, November 5, 2007, from http://www.ed.
gov/about/offices/ list/os/september11/ssb.html
6 Liberty-tree. Noah Webster Quotes. Retrieved, November 8, 2007, from http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quotes_by/noah+
webster
by Tony Edwards
If we were to look into the window of history, it can clearly be seen that our country has been shaken from its foundation.
From the thunderous cries of atheist, agnostics, and skeptics over the years, has come waves of charted bombardments.
These attacks are not unintentional but well defined with a purpose. That purpose is to alleviate, to the point of silence,
God in our country.
With many of these leveled attacks coming from well educated people in high places, there are those in America who
have begun to ask, is it really important to have on our coins, in our classrooms, in our federal buildings, and as our
national motto, the phrase “In God We Trust?”
With a reverberating YES, I can convincingly answer that question. And a quick look from our country’s historical
perspective and a child of God’s Christian perspective will reveal the relevance of “In God We Trust” to our nation.
From A Nation’s Perspective
To the United States, “In God We Trust” represents a country that has come to depend on God Almighty. For a nation that
has endured and conquered many obstacles, “In God We Trust” is a given. A glimpse
into history can explain why this is the case.
The U.S. was first organized under the Articles of Confederation (1781), then finally under the Constitution (1787) as a
federal republic.” 1 From this humble beginning, our nation has become the greatest country on earth. This achievement,
however, was not an accident but came with much toil and conflict.
There are two reasons why our nation is great: her lands and her citizens.
The United States’ lands are great because of their history. Every piece of property on which we are privileged to walk,
ride, or even sleep upon, came with a price. In 1803, the United States paid $15 million dollars to France for the purchase
of territory that “extended from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to British
America (Canada).” 2 Money, however, was not always the means by which land was obtained. The War of 1812,
between the U.S. and Britain, is an example of land gained because individuals gave their lives for the benefit of their
country.
The United States’ citizens are also great because of their history. Though many inequalities existed among the people,
disparity among African and Caucasian Americans could very well have been the biggest mile stone for this nation to
overcome. Although slavery of some form or another has always existed among the human race, abolitionists who lived in
years gone by sought to rid the land of this practice and rightfully so. From the tensions that led to the American Civil War,
which climaxed in the battle at Gettysburg, to the Civil Rights Movement, sparked by continuous unrest between black and
white Americans, men of both races showed great courage, endurance, and faith, the very things that make our people
great today.
Yet, with all of the greatness that our nation has attained, men have always held God as the soul consecrator of these
blessings. Since the beginning of our nation, the faith of religious people has had a profound influence upon our
government. For instance, in November of 1861, a man by the name of M. R. Watkinson wrote a letter to the Secretary of
the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, urging him to recognize God on the U. S. coins. According to Mr. Watkinson, placing
some kind of reference to God on U. S. coins was necessary. He writes, “This would relieve us from the ignominy of
heathenism. This would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed.” 3
It was with this thought in mind that Salmon responded by sending a message to the Director of the Mint, at Philadelphia,
to prepare a motto. His words were, “No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His
defense.” 4
Conviction about God, during this time, was so strong that religious people were not going to allow the government or any
one else to undermine the Lord of Hosts. Consequently, the phrase “In God We Trust” was determined to be the motto and
since 1938, all U. S. coins have carried these timely words.
This phrase was so precious and true and core to what people in America believed, that on July 30, 1956, it was
approved as the national motto for the United States. Is there any wonder then, why our national anthem has within the
fourth verse these words, “Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
and this be our motto: “In God is our Trust?” 5
Without a doubt, “In God We Trust” is relevant to our nation!
From A Christian’s Perspective
To a child of God “In God We Trust” is an expression of life. It signifies the location of and limitation to our trust. The
Psalmist proclaims, “How precious is Your loving kindness, O God! Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the
shadow of Your wings” (36:7).
Yes, because of God’s unending love for us, ultimately expressed in the sending of His only begotten Son, our trust in
located in Him. This we do not of necessity but out of respect, love, and reverence for the One who sent His Son to die for
us “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).
As to limitation, true believers understand that nothing else on this earth or beyond is worthy of our trust. Living in such an
affluent society, we must be careful to never let the possessions that we have obtained lead us to the conclusion that we
no longer need God. In Luke 12:20, a rich man was called a fool, not because he was rich, but because he trusted in
himself and his riches rather than “In God.” In the Old Testament book of Daniel, we find another account about
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Like many, Nebuchadnezzar attributed his success and glory to his own strength.
Before his subjects, in the Babylonian empire, the king paraded and shouted, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for
the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty” (Daniel 4:30)?
It was not long after this grand old speech that God drove him into the wilderness to graze with the beasts of the field. God
told him that this sentence would be in place until he realized “that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it
to whomever He chooses” (4:32).
No matter how much or how far we have come, Christians always trust in God and acknowledge Him as the source of their
prosperity. Paul uttered, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That
your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:2, 5). The Old Testament prophet,
Jeremiah made a similar statement: “Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his
strength, whose heart departs from the LORD.” “Blessed is the man that trusteth In the LORD, and whose hope the LORD
is” (17:5, 7).
Furthermore, Christians are not blinded by military might. It is true that the U.S. has the greatest military in the world.
People of faith, however, still understand that the military is great because of God’s providence. We must never be fooled
by POWER. To prevent this type of thinking in the days of the Judges, God decrease the army of Gideon from 32,000 to
300. The Lord’s reasoning behind this move was to keep the people from saying, “My own hand has saved me” (Judges 7:
2). We all should be like the Psalmist who said, “I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me” (44:6). Paul added,
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty In God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). When
the last war is fought, the last bullet is fired, or the last nation is conquered God will still be in control.
Yes, throughout time the oil of materialism, atheism, agnosticism, and skepticism has fueled people to place their trust in
things other than God—undoing the limitation. Though this oil has fueled many, it also has impaired many people’s ability
to put their trust in the proper location, namely, “In God.” But at the end of the day the true believer, in the midst of such
perplexities can say “In the LORD I put my trust” (Psalms 11:1).
Once again, without a doubt, “In God We Trust” is relevant to our nation!
Conclusion
The fact that we live in a country so great, requires that she endure opposition—for, true greatness comes with many
sacrifices. These sacrifices, however, should not be the tearing down of our spiritual values or giving up the principles on
which our nation was founded or the God who brought us this far. But these sacrifices should come by way of ridicule
hurled at Christians who refuse to be silent while the opposition is shrill. These sacrifices should be Christians standing up
in the midst of many rising evils, to openly proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ and God’s disdain for sin.
Many litigations insisting that the word God be moved from every aspect of our nation’s activities has cause many
religious principles, obtained from the Holy Bible, on which our great country was founded, to be abandoned. As Noah
Webster once said, “The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scripture ought to form the basis of all civil
constitutions and laws.” And “All the miseries and evils which men suffer from – vice, crime, ambition, injustice,
oppression, slavery, and war – proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.” 6
What will it take for the people of our great nation, once again, to arise and proclaim “In God We Trust” as patriots of old?
Will we wait until the freedom of expressing God’s wonderful truths is stripped from us in the night, by lawmakers, lawyers,
and judges, with hidden agendas? Or, will we take measures to ensure the continuation of our national motto for
generations to come. Make no mistake about it, there are many who want God off of our money, out of the pledge of
allegiance, and at last they want Him cut out of the historical documents that so vividly depict a nation dependent upon the
sovereign Almighty.
Men and women all over this vast world know of our faith in the one and true God. Whenever our currency leaves the
secure walls of a bank, to travel from person to person, state to state, country to country, our beacon of light forever
reminds them of our faith—“In God We Trust.” We must be people willing to stand in the gap on behalf of the land (Ezekiel
22:30).
A prayer was once formed by the Union Free School District in Hyde Park, New York. Though this prayer was struck down
by the U. S. Supreme Court in 1962, its principle will be pertinent as long as this world stands. “Almighty God, we
acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country.”
Let’s continue to profess aloud our trust in God and seek to influence those who would otherwise try to silence the reason
of our hope. “In God We Trust” was relevant throughout history, it’s relevant now, and will be forevermore.
Works Cited:
1 United States.Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved, November 6, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 CD. .
2 IBID
3 Fact Sheets: Currency & Coins. History of ‘In God We Trust’. Retrieved, November 5, 2007, from http://www.ustreas.
gov/ education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.shtml
4 IBID
5 U. S. Department of Education. The Star-Spangled Banner. Retrieved, November 5, 2007, from http://www.ed.
gov/about/offices/ list/os/september11/ssb.html
6 Liberty-tree. Noah Webster Quotes. Retrieved, November 8, 2007, from http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quotes_by/noah+
webster
| Reviving the Family |
| Strengthening The Bond Between God and Families |
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