Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no hope.

Psalms 146:3, ESV

Did you know that the first coin of the United States to bear the motto, "In God We Trust" was the two-cent piece? It was placed there in 1864 by an official act of congress during the depths of the Civil War. Some thought it was something of a hollow gesture - a weak attempt to help restore faith and confidence in a monetary system that was strained to the limits by the ravages of war. President Lincoln even decided to change the currency in an emergency move to try and place more money into a system that no longer had enough gold to back it. Since people were losing trust in the government's ability to back their currency, congress decided to remind people that our trust should be in God, not in the ability of governments.

The cynical will say that it was just one more weak attempt to dupe the public - this time by bringing God into the picture. Others will say that it was a deeply needed reminder of just Who was really in control of our lives. But whatever the reason, the motto survived, and I am glad that it did, if for no other reason than as a reminder of where our trust needed to be in the first place.

Fast forward 160 years and we find ourselves in present day America. It is nearly as divided as it was during the Civil War, and people still seem to have a lust for conflict. Our leaders have become quite savvy in dividing the people against one another in order to divert attention away from their own misdeeds. Those in positions of power have taken advantage of a news organization that is little more than an extension of the government, and they are very effective in controlling the narrative and in manipulating the masses. They play a game that convinces people that if they will just put their trust in this political party or that, that everything will be fine. So, we go to the polls every four years and elect a new "prince" that we are sure will rescue us from everything that ails us.

I freely admit that I do the same, and I definitely have my opinion as to which of these "princes" will do the best job, but I am beginning to realize that I have placed my trust in the wrong area for far too long. And, despite the fact that my guy got voted in this time, I also realize that he will have little to do with the success or failure of our nation. Only God can do that and, regardless of the various mottos and lip services that we may pay to Him, I further realize that He is not going to help us continue on a path of sin.

So, what is the solution? If even a change of leadership cannot rescue America from its reckless path, who can? Of course, the answer to that is the same that some in congress seemed to understand at that time of similar danger. Until we restore our trust in God nothing else (and no one else) is going to matter. The only rational conclusion, then, is that we return to the only One who truly can help us.

This will not be easy. We live in a time where fewer and fewer people even seem to believe in God, so how can we get the masses to return to the "One Nation Under God" way of thinking? The answer is that, short of repentance, we cannot. Because of this, the nation will have to continue its seeming "death-spiral" towards destruction. While this might appear to be a hopeless and defeatist way of viewing things, such punishment has always been the penalty for people and for nations who refuse to place their trust in God.

The only thing left is the same thing that has always been: For the individual to place his trust in God regardless of whether or not anyone else (much less an entire nation) will join him in that trust. Groups of people will typically go along with the majority, even in areas as important as trust. While we do not ever need to just give up trying to convince the majority that their trust in the princes of our time will not get us out of the big hole that we find ourselves in, we do have to be realistic and realize that it is not within our power to change everybody's mind. 

That leaves us where men and women of faith have always been: We must trust in God in our own lives! I realize that most of we Christians are convinced that we are placing our trust in God, but you have to admit that most of us still seem surprised when the man or woman we trusted enough to elect is not able to rescue us from the difficulties of our times. The bottom line is that God has put us here to serve Him to the best of our ability, and that service is contingent upon our trust in Him as the only source of true help.

All of this is a long way around the barn to say this: If we are trusting in our new leaders to rescue America from our old problems, then our trust is misplaced. And while we do have the right to hope that a fresh start will be a good thing, unless we place our trust fully in the Lord, we are going to be let down, once again, by our misplaced trust in man.

Who is it that you have put your trust in? The answer to that question will likely determine your level of joy, both in this life and in the eternal life that is to come. We must return to an "In God We Trust" mentality in our personal lives before it is too late.