Have we changed our national motto? Officially, no. Unofficially, you decide. The term “In God We Trust” was adopted as our nation’s official motto in 1956. It has been printed on our money for the last sixty-four years. Think about that for a minute. Printed on our currency, for all the world to see, are the words: IN GOD WE TRUST. That’s an awesome declaration of faith! Does Russia or China have such a statement on their money? How about Germany or Canada or North Korea? South Africa or Japan? No, they do not. The United States of America is one of the only nations on earth that prints on its money such a bold affirmation of faith in the Almighty.
“In God We Trust” is a powerful message to all the nations of the world, especially in these latter times when many individuals and many nations are falling “away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1). That quote is taken from the World English Bible (WEB), which is the version I use here, unless otherwise noted. In the New King James Version (NKJV) the entire verse reads, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”
Two quick points from 1 Timothy 4:1. First, there is this body of truth in Scripture that’s referred to as “the" faith. The deceived men and women in this passage are not falling away from “their” faith, but from "the" faith. In other words, they still possess their subjective belief in ... something. But they are departing from “the” faith, the objective truth of Scripture, “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). During these latter times, people will depart from the objective truth of Scripture, but their faith or their belief system is nonetheless still active. It’s just been misdirected.
Which leads us to the second point. What or who causes this misdirection of faith? The answer: seducing spirits or deceiving spirits. Many people live their entire lives without ever realizing there’s a spiritual dimension to life. We’re all aware of the physical dimension in which we move and dwell from day to day. But there’s also a spiritual world that resides just beyond our physical senses. This invisible world is one of “serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). And it’s also a world of “seducing spirits” and “spiritual forces of wickedness” (1 Timothy 4:1; Ephesians 6:12).
When you pull back the curtain of our physical world and peer into the world of the spirit, you see that it’s a world at war. There are powerful forces at work, good and ill, that seek to interplay with the affairs of mankind. These evil spirits entice us to direct our faith away from our heavenly Father. And please note these “spiritual forces of wickedness” are not passive. They actively assault our senses, day in and day out, with the aim to seduce us. Their goal is to trick us to put our trust in "doctrines of demons" such as Social Darwinism and various conspiracy theories, in false religions and personality cults, in the power of self and science.
But what’s wrong about trusting in science? Here’s the problem. Scientific and political endeavors, as well as business and religious endeavors, are all conducted by man, and man is not to be trusted. The Founding Fathers knew this. That's why they rejected the notion of having a king rule the nation. That’s why they were keen to equip our new form of representative government with various systems of accountability. They gave us a Constitution with built-in checks and balances, and separation of powers. Why so? Because they believed the good Book, which states “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV). Our hearts are both deceitful and easily deceived. Therefore, it’s not wise to put your complete trust in any human being. The renowned bandleader Lawrence Welk said, "Never trust anyone completely but God. Love people, but put your full trust only in God."
On July 30, 2006, during the anniversary of the 1956 bill to adopt “In God We Trust” as our national motto, our President stated, “As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of our national motto and remember with thanksgiving God’s mercies throughout our history, we recognize a divine plan that stands above all human plans and continue to seek His will.”
I wonder if we Americans truly desire to recognize His divine plan? Do we still seek His will? Many voices today are calling us to trust in science. But how many voices are calling the people of America to humble themselves, and pray, and seek God's face and turn from our wicked ways? How many are saying 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 is the key to this whole mess? Only a few.
I reckon every generation has to come to understand for itself that trusting in man is not wise. We must learn anew that the LORD is our keeper. “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken” (Psalm 62:6). In Psalm 146:3 KJV, we find this admonition: “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom is no help.” The sweet psalmist knew the right one to ask for assistance: “Give us help against the enemy, for the help of man is vain” (Psalm 108:12).
“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1 KJV). In the Complete Jewish Bible, in 1 Corinthians 3:9, it reads, “we are God’s co-workers.” If we're called to work with God, then it's foolish to expect God to build the house for us while we rest in the shade and sip ice tea. We can't expect the Lord to watch over the city for us while we sleep on guard duty. As fellow workers with God it's important to understand we can’t do His part and He won’t do our part. It's interesting that before our Lord performed the supernatural work of resurrecting his friend Lazarus in the cave, he first commanded humans to “take away the stone” (John 11:39).
The wisdom of Proverbs 21:31 tells us, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with Yahweh.” We shouldn’t expect God to leave the throne of heaven and prepare our horse for battle, that's our job. Yet we must not place our faith for the victory in the horse. There’s no substitute for a prepared horse (doing our part), but our ultimate faith for the victory is not in the horse. Our trust is in the awesome God who made heaven and earth! We don't trust in the horse, we trust in the One who made the horse! Victory is with our co-worker, Yahweh!
Conducting scientific research is like preparing our horse for battle. That’s the human part we must do - as we trust in God to do the supernatural part which only He can do. George Washington Carver was a famous scientist, inventor and a man of faith. He said, "Without God to draw aside the curtain I would be helpless." Brother Carver was a modern-day scientist submitting to the One who said two thousand years ago, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
In these latter days, foul spirits of deception are running amok all over America. And even though we haven’t officially changed our motto to “In Science We Trust,” we have many citizens today who are being led in that direction. Many folks are depending on science to guide us through these dark days and give us viable solutions to a global pandemic, climate change, and even racism. But I say - be not deceived. The Bible teaches us unless the LORD blesses our scientific endeavors, we labor in vain for a solution. The word of God is clear: "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes" (Psalm 118:8-9).
Science is our tool, not our savior. God alone is our savior. The citizens of America are fortunate because every time we handle our money, we get a much-needed reminder: IN GOD WE TRUST. Our national motto serves as a safeguard against putting too much confidence in what our fellowman can do. In Science We Learn. In God We Trust!
Check out my book, "The Spiritual Awakening of America" to learn how God is using pain to prepare us for revival.
Grace, Peace and Jahspeed!