Lite Readings

Devotional readings to encourage and inspire

In God We Trust

"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe."

Proverbs 29:25

 

In the early hours of September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, wrote a poem titled "Defence of Fort M'Henry." Key was motivated by the huge American flag flying triumphantly above the fort during the American victory after seeing the British ships pound Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. A popular British song's melody was used to set Key's poem, and it quickly became a well-known American national anthem. On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution designating The Star Spangled Banner as the country's anthem.

 

Usually, it is the first stanza of the poem's four stanzas that is frequently sung. The classic poem's concluding lines serve as a reminder of the principles that undergird our great country:

 

O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation.
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

 

Whether or not the United States of America is a "Christian nation," or ever truly was, is a topic of intense discussion today. American history has repeatedly shown that the country was founded on Christian values. The buildings, monuments, official documents, and historical speeches in Washington, D.C., all prominently display this truth, which was clearly the intention of our founding fathers. A popular Key quote, "In God is our trust," was modified and adopted as the official motto of the United States of America less than 100 years after the Declaration of Independence was written.

 

According to President Thomas Jefferson, "The God who gave us life also gave us liberty." Jefferson said, "Can a nation's liberties be secure when we have removed the conviction that these liberties are of God?" May we, as citizens, never lose sight of the divine origins of our liberty. And may we come to God in faith and repentance, since He is deserving of all of our adoration.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I choose to place my whole-hearted trust in You and not in men.