Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin; Who walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore, the strength of Pharaoh Shall be your shame, And trust in the shadow of Egypt Shall be your humiliation. Isaiah 30:1-3
In 1955, the 84th congress of the United States passed, and President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law adopting “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the United States. Since then, these words have been printed on U.S. currency. As the secularization of America has grown, a great battle has raged and continues to rage over whether to keep or discard this motto. While I appreciate the desire to keep this motto on our currency, it seems clear to me that, as a nation, these words have become a hollow platitude as we trust more in our own might, wealth, wisdom, etc. than in the Almighty God from whom all these blessings flow.
This article is not meant to engage the political or cultural battle over the phrase, but it is a call for Christians to search our hearts and honestly assess in whom we place our trust. I believe we all would say that we trust in God above all things. However, if we look more closely, we may find that we often put our trust in other things: friends, family, education, career, political party, military might, human reasoning, etc. This list could go on and on, but these are some of the most common things on which we tend to lean for a sense of security and strength.
This is not unique to us as God’s people have always tended to trust in earthly things when they ought to put all their faith in God. This does not mean we should do nothing and expect God to care for our needs. God expects us to provide for our families, and no amount of praying is going to make manna fall from the heavens, so we must apply our abilities in this way. However, do we ever find ourselves pursuing things to secure ourselves without first seeking God’s counsel? (James 4:13-15)
This trap is so easy to fall into because we live our lives in these physical bodies on this physical earth with real physical needs. We want tangible things to feel that sense of security, but this makes it difficult to live out the trust we ought to rather than trying to control it all ourselves.
This was the trouble Isaiah addressed in the passage above and others concerning Judah’s misplaced trust. With the Assyrian war machine breathing down her neck, Judah’s rulers sought something tangible to protect them. The other major world power of the time was Egypt, so it seemed prudent to forge an alliance with them for protection. The problem with this reasoning was that it showed they had forgotten God’s promise to protect them if they remained faithful to Him (Deuteronomy 28:1-14, et. al.).
In Isaiah 31:1-3, the folly of this notion becomes even clearer. They trusted in horses and chariots because they were many and strong rather than the Almighty, so God warned that in the end “Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together.” (Isaiah 31:3). Fortunately for Judah, Hezekiah humbled himself, forsook his dependence on Egypt, and took the threats of the mighty Assyrians to the Lord for help (2 Kings 19:14-19; Isaiah 37:14-20). The result was that God sent His angel to kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, ending Sennacherib’s siege and securing Judah (2 Kings 19:20-37; Isaiah 37:21-38).
Now, this does not mean that God is going to miraculously deliver us from our troubles and trials, but He will provide the means necessary to carry us through those trials (1 Corinthians 10:13). In whom are you trusting today?