I can find the solution to all our problems on a dollar bill.
People say greed and the desire to collect things like money have driven this country and are the basis of our problems. Others point out that our debt or inflation is at the core of the problem. Others say our problems are caused by corruption in the government. They say it is the President’s fault or the Democrat’s or the Republican’s fault.
Many look to education, technology, or self to solve these problems. Some look to political parties, money, love, or drugs. We all have reasons we believe are at the core of our problems. Those reasons change daily depending on our situation and mood. But my purpose here isn’t to find out what is causing problems. My goal is to identify the solution.
Could you go back and look at the title again? “I can find the solution to all our problems on a dollar bill.” I mean that, literally. To demonstrate, take a dollar bill out of your pocket. Hold it so you can see the engraving of President Lincoln.
As we look at the engraving, let me tell you about an incident during Lincoln’s presidency. The Civil War was raging, dividing the United States into opposing nations. Both sides believed the cause they were fighting for was right. During this conflict, President Lincoln was asked if he thought the Lord was on the Union’s side. Lincoln’s response is recounted in the funeral address given by Reverend Matthew Simpson on May 4, 1865, in Springfield, Illinois.
Simpson said:
“To a minister who said he hoped the Lord was on our side, he (Lincoln) replied that it gave him no concern whether the Lord was on our side or not. “For,” he added, “I know the Lord is always on the side of right;” and with deep feeling added, “But God is my witness that it is my constant anxiety and prayer that both myself and this nation should be on the Lord’s side.” (http://beck.library.emory.edu/lincoln/sermon.php?id=simpson.001)
To Lincoln, it was not a question of whether God was on the Union’s side but whether the Union was on God’s side. He wanted to know that he was on the Lord’s side because that would ensure we were on the right side.
Look at our country today. “Are we on the Lord’s side?” Our forefathers were firm believers in God. Their speeches and writings are evidence of that fact. If you want to discover what they believed about God, I recommend a DVD by Robert Barton called “America’s Godly Heritage.” Barton recounts the speeches and documents that reveal the founding fathers’ understanding of their mindset in starting the country. America’s Godly heritage is a side of history not taught in our schools today. The DVD is available through an organization called Wallbuilders LLC. (www.wallbuilders.com.)
Our country was based on the belief that without God’s blessing, this country would fail.
Let’s look again at the dollar bill in your hand. We were looking at the side with the portrait of Lincoln. Turn it over, and what do you see? You see the four words, whether on paper or coin, “In God We Trust.”
The solution to our problem is written on our money, “In God We Trust.” The question is, “Do we trust God?” Does the United States trust God? We did when this country was founded, but how about now?
The evidence that I see today is that the United States no longer puts its trust in God. We trust the President, Congress, the Supreme Court, political parties, or special interest groups. We put our trust in our military, technology, and ourselves.
We will be disappointed if our trust is in anything other than God. Man’s solutions will fail. Money will fail. Power will fail. New technology or medicine will fail. The military or new or fewer laws will not solve our problems. Only trusting God will genuinely solve our problems.
Today, we put our trust in everything but God. God has richly blessed the United States over its history. This blessing has lessened. When did our country’s trust in God change? It changed when our trust in God changed. I am not sure when it started, but I can look back to one day in my generation when the speed of the change increased.
The day I look back at was January 22, 1973. The Supreme Court, in the Roe vs. Wade decision, said that it was not only OK, but it was lawful in the United States to murder an unborn child. Children are one of God’s most cherished possessions. They are His handiwork. The United States decided to trust in the Supreme Court. Where has our country gone since this decision? The downward spiral has continued with increased speed and intensity. Daily, Political, and personal choices display that trust in God is replaced with confidence in other things. Right or wrong is determined through laws, Supreme Court decisions, and Presidential Executive Orders, not God’s words.
What happens when a nation stops trusting God? We only have to look to history. As individuals, we have a final judgment that comes after death in the presence of God, in which we will give account for our actions. This contrasts with the fact that countries are not judged after death but here on Earth. We read of times when the people in Israel stopped trusting. God allowed foreigners to invade their country, and the people were scattered. The nation of Israel stopped existing. As for Israel, God promised them a regathering, which was significantly advanced in 1947 with the re-establishment of the State of Israel.
The United States has no such promise of regathering. When we stop trusting God, God’s blessing will be withdrawn, this country will fail, and the people will be scattered. Maybe through a foreign invasion, maybe by an internal attack. The judgment will be final. God has not promised to regather the United States.
How do we get back into trusting God? It starts with individuals returning to trust. It begins with you.
If you say you believe in God, does that mean you trust Him? It is like looking at a chair. You can believe that it is a chair. You move from believing to trusting only when you place your weight on it.
Trusting God is the answer to all our problems. Make sure you are on His side. As President Lincoln said,
“But God is my witness that it is my constant anxiety and prayer that both myself and this nation should be on the Lord’s side.”
We receive healing by placing all our weight on God. Trust in Him. His love will not fail you.
We hold the solution in our hands daily.
“In God we Trust.”
