Check back each Monday for a short devotional with Chaplain Art Pace to help you start the week off well.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
Psalm 56:3-4
At the height of the Civil War, with no end in sight to the conflict, with casualties and destruction mounting, the Union Army needed something to bolster their morale. Four words began to spring up in numerous writings: In God We Trust. It became so popular that it was printed on a coin in 1867. It endured as an encouragement to our Nation, and finally on July 30th, 1956, Congress and the President made it the official motto of the United States.
King David understood the power of this phrase long before America did. As a shepherd, and as a warrior, he fully experienced and understood true fear. But he knew what to do in those circumstances. When he was afraid, he doubled down on his trust in the Lord. He trusted God and His promises more than he feared any earthly thing that could come against him. No darkness was going to overcome the light of his faith.
It is easy to feel afraid when we feel helpless, alone, or powerless. Yet Scripture tells us over and over that we are never helpless, we are never alone, and we are never powerless if we trust in the Lord and in His Word. Trusting in God, though, requires deliberate action on our parts. Note that David says he puts his trust in God. We take those things that are causing us fear and put them in the hands of our Lord, and then let go. We then praise the Lord for who he is, for how much he loves us, and for all he offers to us.
So when we are afraid, all we have to do is pull out our wallets or change purses, and look at our American money. On each piece of currency are four words of encouragement: In God We Trust.
