In God We Trust

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a committee consisting of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson “to bring in a device for a seal of the United States of America.” After many delays, Congress finally approved a verbal description of a design by William Barton on June 20, 1782. The seal shows an American bald eagle with a ribbon in its mouth bearing the device E pluribus unum, which translates into English as “one out of many”. In its talons are the arrows of war and an olive branch of peace. On the reverse side it shows an unfinished pyramid with an eye, the eye of Providence, above it. Although this description was adopted in 1782, the first drawing was not made until four years later, and no die has ever been cut. There are many such symbols in our national logos. “In God We Trust” first appeared on U.S. coins after April 22, 1864, when Congress passed an act authorizing the coinage of a 2-cent piece bearing this motto. Thereafter, Congress extended its use to other coins. On July 30, 1956, it became the national motto. Like many others, however, I wonder how much we truly trust in God. Abraham Lincoln said it so well:

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

While that was spoken over a century ago, it could be words spoken today. So many things tear at the fabric of our nation. The time is long past for us to heed the wisdom of David written to Israel many thousands of years ago.

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. (Psalm 37:1-6 ESV).

In the 1830's Alexis de Tocqueville toured America. When his tour had been completed, he made this observation: "I have toured America, and I have seen most of what you offer. I've seen the richness of the fields and the wealth of your mines. I've seen your industrial might, the beauties of the rivers, the streams, the lakes, and the grandeur of the mountains. I've noticed the abundance of the forests and the marvelous climate with which you are blessed. In none of these things did I see the cause for the greatness of America. It wasn't until I went into your churches that I saw the reason for America's greatness. America is great because America is good; and as long as America is good, America will be great. If it ever ceases to be good, it will cease to be great." To be good, America must once again trust in the Lord! And if America ever trusts in the Lord it will be one person at a time. The next time you reach into your purse or pocket to pay for something, read the motto on our money and be reminded to “trust in God.”