In God We Trust

Staring through the darkness, Francis Scott Key strained to see if the banner of our nation was still being flown above Fort McHenry. Being held as a temporary prisoner on one of the British ships involved in the attack, he was encouraged to see the flag still there as the bombs burst in air. He prayed fervently that the mighty Hand of God would grant victory to the fighting men who were putting their lives on the line to protect freedom for themselves, their families, and for generations of Americans to come.

Key’s heart sank when the cannons from Fort McHenry stopped firing almost an hour before the British guns ceased bombarding the shore. Through the night Key wondered if the flag, the symbol of all for which the nation stood, had fallen. Then as the dawn’s early light appeared he saw it. Tattered and scarred, Old Glory, still flew boldly over the land of the free. In the inspiration of that moment, Francis Scott Key wrote the four verses of the poem, originally known as “The Defense of Fort McHenry”, which is now our national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”.

In the fourth verse, the phrase, “In God is our trust”, provided the inspiration to “In God We Trust” on our currency in 1865, and our official national motto in 1956.

Oh! Thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just.
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Our nation has enjoyed prosperity, democracy, and unprecedented freedom due to our national unity in the acknowledgement of the true source of freedom and provision, the one, true, living God. We may feel our fellow citizens have abandoned this basic principle, but during this weekend as you and your family celebrate our nation’s birth, remember our motto “In God We Trust”.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” - Galatians 5:1