I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!"(Psalm 91:2, NASB)
If someone were to ask you to state the official motto of the United States, could you do so? Many believe that “E Pluribus Unum,” which translates, “From many, one” is the correct answer. They would be partly correct. For much of our nation’s history, this has been acknowledged as the de facto national motto. After all, it was chosen to adorn the Great Seal of the United States when it was adopted in 1782. During a critical period in the twentieth century, however, one president decided to establish an official motto that would set America apart from the secularist ideologies of communist nations.
On July 30, 1956 the United States adopted the motto In God We Trust by joint resolution of the 84th Congress and approved by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although this motto had been inscribed on coins since the Coinage Act of 1873, it wasn’t until the Cold War that it was officially recognized in order to distinguish the United States from the Soviet Union and its promotion of atheism. The 112th Congress voted to reaffirm “In God We Trust” as our nation’s official motto in 2011.
Trust in God is a phrase we use all the time, but what does it really mean? What does it mean to you? The word trust used in Psalm 91:2 is the Hebrew word batach, which means “to adhere to.” It also happens to be the modern Hebrew word for glue. Originally, it meant, “to weld.” When two pieces of metal are welded together, they are actually melted into one another. The weld then becomes stronger than any other point in the metal pieces. When we trust in God, we weld into Him and He welds into us! Any area of our lives that is not welded to God can break much more easily than those areas that we weld to, or entrust, to Him.
The Hebrew word for God in Psalm 91:2 is Elohim, a name that refers to His power and protection. When thinking of the nation’s motto with this name of God in mind, In Elohim We Trust, it means we are welding our lives to God’s power and protection. No wonder Paul passionately encouraged us; “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, NASB)“If God is for us,” as he states a few verses earlier in verse 31, “who is against us?” The next time you hold a coin in your hand, remember that when you put your trust in Elohim, you have the greatest protection – and treasure - possible.
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