What Does "In God We Trust" Really Mean?

"Today's Devotion" For May 20, 2006

Read: Psalm 56; Matthew 10:17-20, 24-31

WHAT DOES "IN GOD WE TRUST" REALLY MEAN?

"When I am afraid I will trust in You. In God, whose Word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" (Ps. 56:3, 4)

On the currency and coin of the United States of America is printed and stamped the motto, "In God We Trust." It seems somewhat significant that this motto should appear on our means of exchange, as our money is one of the most common points of contact among the people of our nation. We also know that there are a lot of naysayers who seek to remove any mention of God from the public arena (there's still the fight over "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance). It has also been observed that those who fight against "one nation under God" also would like to redact our nation's history and remove any mention of or reference to God from that history, even including the Declaration of Independence.

Nevertheless the motto "In God We Trust" endures as a powerful reminder that we are not a nation that stands on its own. Rather, we are a nation whose history is replete with the blessings of God and the evidence of His almighty hand protecting us and defending us from our enemies. "In God We Trust" is a powerful reminder that we, as a nation, have the power of Almighty God available to us, should we care to acknowledge Him as God and Lord. Indeed, as the Psalmist wrote, "When I am afraid I will trust in You...in God I trust, I will not be afraid" (Ps. 56:3,4).

Each of us has known fear in our lives. Just the other day one of my children's high school teachers was out walking with his wife when they were confronted by a mugger with a pistol. The teacher, without thinking charged the young man, got hit in the head with the butt of the pistol, and sent the young man running. The screams of the teacher's wife were so loud and piercing that a neighbor on another block, down in his basement, with the doors and windows shut, heard her scream. No doubt she was afraid. I'm also quite certain her husband, the teacher, was as well. By God's grace, the teacher didn't pursue the mugger because a few houses down he was joined by an accomplice. They both took off running.

Was God protecting our teacher? No doubt exists in my mind. But fear for our physical well-being isn't our only concern. How about our spiritual well-being? David, the psalmist, isn't just speaking about fearing for our physical lives, but for our spiritual lives as well. David wrote Psalm 56 while a prisoner of the Philistines. No doubt he feared for his life. Yet, he also knew that God was with him and had other plans for him. With God as his protection and strength, David was confident that he had no need to be afraid of mere mortals. Even though his enemies were playing fast and loose with the truth, David was confident that they could do nothing to harm him that wasn't in accord with God's purpose.

Jesus also speaks to this in our reading from Matthew 10. As redeemed and forgiven children of God, Jesus warns us that we can expect to be ridiculed, harassed, and harmed, physically, by a world that denies the Father's love in Him. If the world treated Jesus badly, do we really believe it will treat those who follow Him better? Jesus warns us that we will face difficult times living for Him, yet our lives can be lived in the full confidence that He is always with us and no one and nothing can separate us from His love (Rom. 8:38, 39). We have nothing to fear from human beings. Our Lord Jesus promises that God will watch over us with His angels (Ps. 91) and protect us from the power of the evil one.

Filled with God's peace in Jesus, forgiven of all our sins, and blessed with the sure and certain hope of heaven and eternity with our Father in heaven, we also can say with David, "In God We Trust," we will "not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" By God's grace we are then able to live the full lives Jesus promises in Himself (John 10:10). Each day is filled with hope and peace, comfort and joy, love and forgiveness in Him. No matter how bad things may get, we can always, with confidence proclaim with our lives, "In God We Trust," as individuals, as neighbors and friends, and as a nation. Let us pray that each of us, along with our neighbors and friends, can say with confidence, "In God We Trust," and be led by that faith to serve Him and others in His name faithfully and well without fear or trepidation.

Prayer: Father, I praise and thank You for all Your loving-kindness toward me. You have forgiven all my sins and "redeemed my life from the pit" of despair and desperation in a world that ignores You and seeks to destroy anything related to You. No matter how great Your love is for all the world, the truth of Your love and forgiveness is often kept hidden by those who would seek to do harm to others. Yet, by Your grace and the power and presence of Your Holy Spirit, working through Your Word, I am kept safely in Your loving and protective arms, forgiven of all my sins and empowered to be a faithful and courageous ambassador and witness to Your love and redemption for the world in Jesus. Help me to be ever faithful to Your calling of me to be a disciple of Jesus' Christ, in whose precious and most holy name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 The Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.