Something to Think About: In God We Trust

*This “Something to Think About” is being reposted with slight changes in honor of the election.

I remember it capturing my attention—

“Trumpet Call” of one of the most unique personalities we’ve ever had in the White House —“Make America Great Again.” -

I love my country and my visceral response was that I want America to be great. But I was unconsciously applying my own definition of “great” based on my own worldview founded on the character of God as revealed in the Bible.

What is the primary characteristic of the God of the Bible? LOVE. One of the 40 inspired writers of the Bible actually says in 1John 4:8, “God is love”. I find it interesting that what would make any nation truly great is found in another motto that is already found on our currency, federal buildings and documents throughout our land—In God We Trust.

In 1814 while composing the final line of his poem “The Star Spangled Banner,” during the war of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote “And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.”

In 1861 the Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, wrote a letter to the Director of the mint, James Pollock, saying,

Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition.

The first time the motto appeared on our coins was on the two cent coin during the Civil War in 1864.

In1956 Congress, under President Dwight D. Eizenhower, passed a law making the declaration “In God we trust” the official motto of the country.

It was a legislative action Congress took to differentiate the United States from atheistic communism. Representative Charles Edward Bennett of Florida cited the Cold War when he introduced the bill in the House, saying “... we should continually look for ways to strengthen the foundations of our freedom". Our history clearly indicates that our nation was founded on basic Biblical principles. I believe that foundation is represented in The Declaration of Independence that says,

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

As a land of freedom our citizens are not compelled or coerced by our laws to trust. we all benefit from His Providence that causes, as Jesus said, “His sun to rise...and His rain to fall on both the just and the unjust alike" (Matthew 5:45).

The Bible says: "It is better to trust the LORD, the Creator-God of the Bible, than to put confidence in man" (Psalm 118:8).

President Trump said in his first State of the Union address, “In America we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy are the center of American life. The motto is ‘In-God-We-Trust.’” A standing ovation erupted in the chamber.

I'm personally very grateful that once again we have the opportunity to focus on the principles of democracy here in America.

1) Democratic Republic, Constitution and Bill of Rights.

- Legislation that promotes:

2) A strong military

3) healthy economy

4) Privacy and well-being

5) Biblically defined marriage and family

6) Equitable housing...

7) Equitable healthcare

8) Equitable pay

9) Compassionate national and international aid in times of crisis.

10) And well-guarded borders with due process for citizenship.

But I also believe genuine greatness in these and all other areas of life is only achieved in direct proportion to knowing the truth about God, about how life came to be, about ourselves as human beings created in God’s image and allowing His image in us to define us. So if we take God out of any aspect of our personal existence, government, national or international affairs “Make America Great Again” comes down to— “great according to whom?”

In Romans 15:13 the apostle Paul says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Peter, another of the Bible’s 40 inspired writers says, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble’" (1 Peter 5:5). Our best path to genuine greatness is less proud talk about America being the “greatest nation on earth” and more humble acknowledgment of being why—In God We Trust.

It is something to think about.

~Dr. David W. Grubbs (Doc)