But God…what a wonderful promise that in our most difficult times, God shows up. If not for His love and grace, we would be overtaken by the storms of this life. The concept of But God…comes directly from His Word. Over and over we find story after story of those in dire straits on the verge of destruction but just in time, God shows up and changes things. He may not always change our situation; sometimes what He changes is our attitude…our perspective from self-centered to God-centered. Along with a God-centered perspective comes the “peace that passes understanding” even in the most dire of circumstances.

In Genesis 48:21, when Israel is dying, he says to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, BUT GOD will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.”

In Genesis 50, after Israel had died, Joseph’s brothers were afraid of what Joseph might do to them. In verse 20, Joseph tells them, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; BUT GOD meant it for good in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people.”

In 1 Kings 5, Solomon is reflecting on how his father, David was not able to build a temple for God due to opposition at every turn . Verse 5 says, “BUT now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side…”

In 1 Samuel 23, we see David being chased by Saul and his army. Verse 14 tells us “…Saul sought him everyday, BUT GOD did not deliver him into his hand.”

In Acts 2, Paul is talking to the people of Israel. he tells them that with the Gentiles help, they nailed Jesus to a cross and killed him. Verse 24 says, “BUT GOD released him from the horrors of death and raised him to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.”

In Ephesians 2, Paul is talking about our sinful nature. Verse 4 says, BUT GOD who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…”

These are only a few examples, but it is clear that we can trust in God in our darkest times. I’m writing this in the middle of the Pandemic. The world is a crazy and unstable place right now. How comforting to know that this world is temporary and that with a whisper of “BUT GOD,” we can feel His presence and know that He is in control – no matter our circumstances.