In Christ We Trust
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In 1864 the motto “In God We Trust” was approved by congress for use on all one-cent and two-cent coins. During this time our nation was in a civil war and it was hoped the change would boast moral and encourage Union troops to keep fighting which they did.
In later years congress approved use of the motto on all coins and then in 1955, during the height of the cold war against Russia, it was approved for use on paper money, too.
Since then, “In God We Trust” has remained our national motto despite several court challenges from those saying it violates the constitution’s prohibition against establishing a religion.
But the challenges have all been prevented because it’s been successfully argued that the motto “In God We Trust” does not establish a religion and is more a secular statement than a religious one.
For example, it’s appearance on the dollar bill next to an Egyptian pyramid, all-seeing eye, and several other weird symbols seems to suggest that “god” in pluralistic sense is being referred to rather than the God of the Bible.
But even if it is the Christian God being referred to, I think it is safe to say we have not lived up to our motto as a nation.
We are a religious nation with many faiths and many gods but the god we trust in the most is the god of mankind.
That’s the same problem God saw in the Israelites.
Trusting in Man
Trusting in Man
This is what the Lord says: Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind. He makes human flesh his strength, and his heart turns from the Lord.
Trusting in mankind means trusting in technology, finances, medicine, government, the military, or any other aspect of human culture.
Do we trust in God? Not really. If that were true then why do we get so upset when our technology, finances, medicine, government, or military let us down?
In God We Trust is a nice slogan but it isn’t very descriptive of Americans. A more accurate motto would be “In Self We Trust.”
The same was true for God’s people. When Israel demanded a king, built up a huge army, collected census data not authorized by God, it wasn’t an indication of trust in God but in trusting in themselves.
Jeremiah tells us not to trust in ourselves because it brings a curse.
Consequences for Trusting in Man
Consequences for Trusting in Man
Three things happen to those who trust in themselves.
Loneliness (vs 6)
He will be like a juniper in the Arabah; he cannot see when good comes but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land where no one lives.
A juniper is a bush that sits low to the ground. It doesn’t grow very tall because it doesn’t receive much nourishment. It sits alone in the desert with few resources and when disaster comes it’s not likely to survive.
You see, trusting in ourselves isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In the end we are left all alone to die in the desert.
Poverty (vs 11)
He who makes a fortune unjustly is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn’t lay. In the middle of his life his riches will abandon him, so in the end he will be a fool.
A person who gets rich dishonestly is very likely to see it all vanish in an instant.
He’ll be like a bird that steals the eggs of other birds, hatches them, but gets no benefit, because when the chicks hear the voice of their true mother they abandon what’s false and return home.
The point is that when a person trusts in deceit, which is an example of doing things our own way, all we get is poverty.
Death (vs 13)
Lord, the hope of Israel, all who abandon you will be put to shame. All who turn away from me will be written in the dirt, for they have abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living water.
Everyone who abandons God to trust in themselves or in anything other than God will be ultimately forgotten when they die. Their names will be written in the eternal book of life but in dirt that just blows away in the wind.
So trusting in ourselves, even if we have a good national motto about trusting in God, only leads to curses.
Instead, Trust in the Lord
Instead, Trust in the Lord
The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.
What is trust? When we trust in something or someone we rely on them. Trust is having confidence that what we trust in will meet our needs.
This kind of trust is like when a sick person trusts in a doctor to make them well or when a person with money trusts his financial advisor to make them a profit.
The relationship is one of reliance. Trust is relying or depending on something or someone to give us what we need.
And one of the things everyone needs to feel loved and valued. We we put this kind of ultimate trust in things or in other people all we’re going to get is loneliness, poverty, and death. They’re like that lone bush in the desert.
A person who trusts in the Lord is like a tree planted by water. A tree that has a constant source of water will never become parched in a heat wave. It will stay green when it’s hot. Even when the bush in the desert dies, the tree planted by the water will live on.
Jeremiah uses himself as a personal example of this kind of trust in verses 15 and 16.
Hear how they keep challenging me, “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come!” But I have not run away from being your shepherd, and I have not longed for the fatal day. You know my words were spoken in your presence.
Because Jeremiah was connected to living water and trusting in God he didn’t run away from his responsibilities as shepherd even when those he preached to made fun of him. Sometimes he complained sometimes but he didn’t quit. He stayed close to God, put his trust in the Lord, and kept speaking the truth.
This is a reminder to us, especially when we feel spiritually dry, to keep pressing on. Don’t stop praying, reading our Bibles, and worshiping with God’s people when you feel overwhelmed.
Don’t wait until a desire to do these things returns. Don’t wait for the timing to be just right before coming back to the spring for a drink.
Keep trusting in God. Stay connected to Him. Keep praying, reading your Bible and coming to church even if we aren’t “feeling it”. God will refresh us in time. Keep trusting. Don’t leave the water’s edge but stay connected to Jesus
On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.”
These are wise words but they are easier said than done.
Our Deceitful Heart
Our Deceitful Heart
Now let’s talk about our deceitful hearts in the context of freedom for a moment.
As Americans we love freedom and we are celebrating freedom this very Independence Day.
But what are we truly free to do? Are we free to choose whatever we desire? Yes, but we are free to choose what we don’t desire? No, not really.
The essence of free will is the ability to choose what we want which I readily accept that we all have. Americans celebrate the freedom to be independent from the British because that’s what we desire.
But in regards to the freedom to choose righteousness, what is it that human beings desire? Do we naturally desire God? No we do not.
That’s because we are not free to choose that which goes against our nature. We aren’t free to change our nature by declaring “I’m only going to desire what is good from now on” any more than Christ is free to declare “I’m only going to desire what is evil from now on.”
Jeremiah 17:9 says it this way,
The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?
More than anything else, and that’s a long list, the human heart can’t be trusted. It’s devious and unable to change. It’s incurable.
Sin and the Fall of Adam has left us with the inability to choose to trust God. That’s why we make good motto’s but then all live like hypocrites. We don’t naturally desire him. None of us do.
We are sinful through and through and there is no part of the human person that is unaffected by sin. Our emotions, our desires, our thoughts, our hearts are all corrupt.
And this next verse is terrifying:
I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.
So, if God examines every person’s mind and heart and then rewards us according to what he finds, what hope is there for us? None, except in Christ!
So, freedom, in free will sense is really a curse because without Christ we are only free to choose to sin which brings judgement upon us, judgment that we all deserve.
So do we see why it makes no sense to trust in mankind, in ourselves or in anything other than God? Of course we are free to trust in other things because that’s what we desire, but in the end it only brings loneliness, poverty, and death.
Save us!
Save us!
The only thing we can do about it is cry out for mercy which is what Jeremiah did in verse 14:
Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for you are my praise.
Humanly speaking our hearts are incurable but God can cure us.
So, in Christ we trust.
Our national motto may be In God We Trust, but I don’t think that goes far enough. People in this country worship all kinds of gods, especially the god of self. Could you imagine our national motto being changed to In Christ We Trust? It’ll never happen because it’s too exclusive. In God We Trust isn’t nearly as offensive.
But what we need is to trust in Christ because only Christ can change our hearts. We can’t cure it on our own.
In the book of Acts there was...
A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.
Who opened her heart to be able to respond? The Lord did.
Has God opened your heart? If yes, then be like a tree planted next to the streams of living water and grow.
If no, then pray like Jeremiah did, “Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved.” Trust in Christ, whether the world around us does or not, because He’s our only hope.