Perhaps you have seen this slogan frequently in the past several weeks. During times of prosperity and peace, many forget God. They rest upon their laurels and become satisfied with self. The thought of God crosses their mind once or twice a week, but to depend upon God, wholly and completely, is outside their scope of thought. In their mind, they are their own sustainers; they are their own self-satisfiers. In times of peace and prosperity God is just one to whom many give mere lip service “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof . . .” (2 Timothy 3:5). These say, “In God We Trust” but deny the power of that statement by refusing to make the appropriate sacrifices to show their reliance upon God. However, many, in the face of our recent national adversity, have been brought to realize their own mortality and are seeking to renew themselves before God. What can the church do to bring the minds of men back to trusting in God and aid those who are seeking true spiritual renewal?
First, the church can show what trusting in God truly means by making sacrifices on our part. The world cannot see true sacrifice today unless the church exemplifies it, because there is no other body upon the earth that can truly make sacrifices to God. Paul writes, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). Do we trust God enough to sacrifice our time, our money, and our abilities to his service? Often we think that we must save that one extra dollar, or stay at work that one extra hour, or refrain from that one extra spiritual task. Instead, we should put our complete trust in God and sacrifice, knowing that God has already made the greater sacrifice for us. Do we, as the church, trust in God? Do we put our complete trust in Him? Let us renew ourselves unto sacrifice!
Second, the church can fight the deadly influences that cause one to become self-reliant. These influences originate from humanism. The very core philosophy of humanism is, “Since there is no God to save us, we must save ourselves.” This statement epitomizes what many truly practice in their life. This statement is totally and completely contradictory to the phrase, “In God We Trust.” Those who accept humanism often practice a post-modern world-view. In this world-view, there is no truth; there is no certainty; there is no trust; there is no hope; and if anyone says otherwise, it is the purpose of post-modernism through deconstructionism to undermine and destroy his or her teaching. Post-modernism thought is, however, sympathetic to any teaching that would undermine the idea that there is only one set of truth to which all must adhere and believe. As a result, we have seen in our country an explosion of false religion of one kind or another such as: witchcraft, paganism, mysticism, Hinduism, astrology, psychics, card readers, and the new age movement. All of these are a product of the deconstruction of Christianity under the influence of post-modernism. The church must stand up and proclaim the one truth given by Jesus Christ in the face of all of these false doctrines. Let us renew ourselves to preaching and teaching THE truth!
Third, the church must call for all of those around us to turn to and put their complete trust in God. This means that we must have a renewed sense of purpose about preaching and teaching the gospel to the lost. Now more than ever, we must reflect in the church the words of our Lord, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35). Those who are hungering and thirsting for the truth will grow weary with the latest religious fad because it will leave them empty. After our recent national crisis, how many did you see in the public eye calling upon pagan deities or mysticism or witchcraft? The call went up to God-the one true and living God who is the Father of Jesus, the Christ. Sadly, many prayers will go unheard due to the condition of the suppliant’s soul-lost. Peter says “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). We can help those make their prayers effectual by putting their trust in God and rendering obedience to the gospel. Let us renew ourselves to the preaching of God’s plan for man’s salvation!
Our national tragedy is truly shocking and sad. However, like the rebirth of the phoenix, we can arise from the ashes of fire and death and bring a renewal like has never been seen in the history of the church before. It is incumbent upon us, the church, to take advantage of this great opportunity God has set before us. “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2). Let us determine to make our national slogan a reality so that all may truly say, “In God We Trust!”