The House this week passed legislation that will require the national motto, “In God We Trust,” to be displayed on all state government buildings. I co-authored House Bill 2085.
In debating for the measure, the Speaker Pro Tempore pointed out that the United State Congress has reaffirmed this motto several times in recent years since it was first adopted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.
The last affirmation came in 2011 with a vote of 396-9. He rightly pointed out this motto clearly unified national leaders and it stands to unify us as Oklahomans as well.
Honestly, I’m not sure in our current Congress the vote would be that high, but in my opinion that is precisely why this is important to solidify this in Oklahoma right now.
We can make the argument that this is history. This motto was adopted more than 70 years ago at a time when our nation had come out of two major world wars as well as the Korean War.
Even before that, the belief in a Creator that had endowed us with certain unalienable rights was etched into our nation’s pivotal founding document, the Declaration of Independence.
Many of our nation’s founders believed in a sovereign God that protects and blesses us. This motto already exists on many government buildings, including in the visitor center of the U.S. Capitol.
It is on our currency, on many license plates and in many other public places.
This motto is important historically, but for me – and I believe for many Oklahomans – this belief in a God we can trust is much more than history.
It’s necessary to our very way of life. We face so many dangers in our world today – from dangerous social ideologies that seek to reshape the way we think and speak to diseases that sicken, kill and disrupt our daily lives, and so much more.
But, for a people who can say, I place my trust in God; that is my bedrock. Those are the people that can sleep in peace. The can live with joy even in the midst of trouble. They can see beauty where others only see ashes.
In Psalm 31, King David wrote: “In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in Your righteousness. Turn Your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my Rock of refuge, a strong Fortress to save me. I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’”
I’ve used only a few verses of this Psalm. I would encourage anyone who needs some hope in these troubled days to read it in its entirety. The bottom line is in God we must trust.
Under this legislation, we hopefully will carve this motto on our buildings as a great reminder of where our hope lies, but even more importantly, I hope we’ll allow our creator to carve this message on our hearts.
As always, thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent you at the Capitol. God bless you, and God bless Oklahoma! If I can ever help you in any way, please contact me at Todd. Russ@okhouse.gov or (405) 557-7312.
Todd Russ is a state Representative for District 55, which includes Washita County.