Hudson T. Armerding . . . Commander of the Naval Reserve Officers School in Forest Park; received his degree in International Affairs from Clark University, his Ph. D from the University of Chicago; served as Dean and Acting President of Gordon College. He’s now serving as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Columbia Bible College; came to Wheaton as a history professor in 1961 and then was appointed to the presidency as the fifth President of Wheaton College in 1965 and served in that position until . He is now the President Emeritus of Wheaton College, represents it on a full time basis as a consultant, and travels as a representative of the college. He just returned two days ago from Latin America on a tour there.

I should have to say that I’m getting used to the title of President Emeritus, and I’ve shared with some friends of mine the story that some of you may have heard and which I repeated to myself this morning. I knew I was getting older when I bent over to tie my shoes and then asked myself what else I could do while I was still down there. Fortunately, I was able to straighten up enough to get here.

I have in my hand here a United States silver dollar. It has on it the motto of the country, “In God We Trust.” This coin was minted in 1887. Actually, this phrase, we think began in the year 1814 on one September morning when Francis Scott Key, on the British warship, looked across and saw the flag still flying and composed what we call “The Star Spangled Banner.” You will remember that one of the verses has in it this phrase: “And this be our motto,’ In God is Our Trust.'” The first coins that bore this motto were minted in 1864, and finally in the year 1956 the motto was adopted officially by our country. But the question that I have for you and for me this morning is whether this motto should have after it a question mark or an exclamation point. Is it indeed true that it is in God we trust? And what indeed are the alternatives if we do not trust in God? I suggest that there is only one other option, and that option has been elected by so many in the world at the present time. That is the option of raw and naked power. People are imposing their will on others. The only ethic, the only morality, is based on force.

And so, we are not really attracted to that option, because our great history would suggest that this is not the kind of option that we would like to exercise. But I submit that there is still the concern in the affairs of mankind if we can’t get it by one way, let’s force it by another way, because we are determined to reach our objectives.

From the reading of the Holy Scriptures and from my own experience, I recognize that even the most massive accumulation of power is not adequate because there is indeed a divinity that shapes our end, rough-hewn as we may be and in II Kings Chapters 18-19, there’s a description of one of the most remarkable occurrences in all of the Bible. King Hezekiah and his Judean kingdom were being approached and attacked by Sennacherib and the Assyrians.

They knew about the success of the exercise of power of Sennacherib. It was clear to them that he had indeed won the battles of which he boasted in the past, and so Hezekiah went into the presence of the Lord and in effect said, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are unto You.” And then the prophet Isaiah sent back word from God Almighty, and the end result was that Sennacherib and his enormous hosts were defeated through the supernatural intervention of God Almighty. And all the power that Sennacherib had accumulated was not adequate to overcome the divine sovereignty.

Let me cite for you two instances that come out of my own history and observation. The first of these occurred in May of 1940. Three hundred fifty thousand British troops were trapped. They finally made their way to Dunkirk, and 330,000 of them were evacuated to be able to fight again. Sir Hugh Drum, remarking about this, speaking about the dense fog that inhibited the German Air Force, the calm seas, the inexplicable order of Hitler to stop the Panzer

Divisions from driving to the coast, and again the puzzling decision not to proceed to invade England when she was virtually helpless, are still described by the historians today. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Or, June of 1940–two naval forces facing one another–the Japanese admiral receives reports of the American fleet He orders his commanders to change the armaments of his aircraft, and all the timing of these events make possible what occurred at the battle of Midway and which, in retrospect, we believe, brought about the breaking of the great power of the Japanese fleet. And again, as I have studied in detail the tactics and the strategy of this particular battle, no one could have foreseen the way in which reports came in, decisions were made, and then the results that benefited the United States forces.

So I’m simply saying to you that the alternative of power is not adequate to overcome the dependence and the trust in God, and it is not to suggest that in the conflict in WWII that we were entirely righteous in all we did. But it is to say that when nations were at least dedicated to those great principles we find in the Holy Scriptures–of freedom and of justice and of integrity–then there could be the intervention of Almighty God to achieve His inscrutable purposes.

So your reaction this morning, I am sure, is. how do we then put into practice the motto” in God we trust”? I suggest that there. has to be, on the part of those of you who are public officials, a recognition that your accountability is not just to your electorate, but is ultimately to God Almighty.

And that furthermore judgment of the present is not sufficient to indicate the quality of the tenure and of the performance that you have.

Many of you have read Carl Sandburg’s great biography of Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest of the citizens of our state. Today we honor and revere President Lincoln as one of the greatest of the Presidents of our country. But let me cite for you some of the statements that were said about him in the year 1864. St John was reported by the Chicago Times as saying that the President was a gorilla tyrant inhabiting the President’s chair. The Salem Advocate commented that the President was making such a fool of himself that he was bringing shame and embarrassment to all of the intelligent people of our country. And the Baltimore Sun observed that the President had cast the office of the presidency to a depth never before achieved in the history of our country. And yet, in a few short years, the true qualities of Abraham Lincoln had so manifested themselves that historians, citizens, people of our nation, celebrate him as one of the greatest of our Presidents.

And so I should say to you, our officials this morning, recognize that the judgment of your performance is not just at the polls and not just in the mail that you receive, but there is a judgment of history that will bring about its own evaluation of the way in which you were committed to integrity. And, from my perspective, to the principles of God’s holy Word. I found in my own administrative experience that my faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord has enabled me more completely to be able to recognize the authority of the Holy Sciptures and to seek to apply these in the practical workings of everyday life.

I should like to say a word, also, to those of you who are here as supporting our public official& I am grateful that each year we have had this kind of a gathering. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is not sufficient for us to come once a year and to commend our public officials and to offer prayer on their behalf. It is extraordinarily important that you and I recognize the responsibility in a democracy, in a constitutional republic, of praying regularly and daily for those who are in positions of public office. I am convinced that if God’s people were to pray daily and perceptively for those in public office, that then our public officials would sense a strange and remarkable undergirding from God Almighty and would be even more able effectively to serve Him as well as to serve us.

And so, the answer to the question about “In God we Trust”, lies not with just our public officials, but resides with those who claim the sovereignty of Christ in their lives but need to exercise this sovereignty in the way in which they would pray specifically for those who have been ordained of God for positions of public office.

I remind you that the Holy Scriptures specifically say that those in authority are there because they are God’s servants, and accountable to Him, and therefore they merit the support of God’s people. And so, ladies and gentlemen, this morning, will the motto”In God we Trust” be a question or a ringing affirmation? And I submit that the answer lies with each of you.

Amen.