In God We Trust

I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land.

-- Judges 6:9

What’s the official motto of the United States?

The answer is as close as your wallet, your car’s ashtray and perhaps your sofa cushions. For more than 150 years American coins have featured the inscription In God We Trust, and these familiar words also appear on our currency. According to the U.S. Treasury’s website, a Pennsylvania minister back in 1861 recommended to Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase that American coins “recognize Almighty God in some form.” Chase agreed and instructed the director of the Philadelphia Mint to prepare an appropriate motto.

“No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense,” wrote Chase. “The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins.”

In God We Trust made its first appearance on the two-cent coin in 1864.

So isn’t it ironic that Godless money cites such an important reminder about the real source of our security? But if we’re honest with ourselves, maybe the motto should read In GOLD We Trust. After all — when life get tough — it’s only natural to rely on our money, riches and possessions rather than the One who makes it possible to earn a living. But reliance on job security and the stock market is never wise, particularly in these days of political, social and economic unrest.

It’s an unsettling fact: Our bank accounts and 401ks are no defense against life’s hard realities. Illnesses strike, relationships fail — and that which seemed solid turns to dust in our hands. What we desperately need is something — or Someone — who’s utterly dependable, unchangeable and trustworthy.

Jesus paints a vivid picture of this universal quest through his story about a foolish man who built a house on shifting sands. When a violent storm struck, the rains came and the winds blew with fury. It’s no surprise that the flimsy structure collapsed with a crash. But a wise man, in comparison, built his house on a foundation of solid rock. So when the storm clouds of life boiled on the horizon, that house withstood even the heaviest downpours.

This leads us to the obvious question: Are we trusting our money to save us when life happens? If so, let’s switch our confidence to God: The One who knew everything about us before we were even born.

“Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust,” we read in Psalms, “who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.”

In God We Trust is more than a motto printed on the dollar bill. It’s an eternal truth that we can take to the bank.