But God

The Standard August 11, 2022

“But God.” Two powerful words. They might mistakenly be considered an addendum, although really they are built into the bedrock of a Christian worldview. “But God” is a hopeful pair of words, changing the trajectory of any story. We fall short, but God does not. We frequently have impure motives, but God has pure motives. We come up with what we think is a good plan, but God has a better one. We often allow the world to dictate our priorities, but God spells out different, life-giving priorities. We don’t always look out for the interests of others, but God seeks their best. Throughout Scripture we see examples where “but God” shows divine intervention for the good of God’s people. 

 “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.” (Genesis 8:1)

“’I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’” (Genesis 41:16)

“But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.” (Genesis 45:7-8)

 “Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.’” (Genesis 48:21) “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)

 “David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.” (1 Samuel 23:14)

“People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself.” (Psalm 49:12-15)

“No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” (John 1:18) “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:24)

“You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.” (Acts 3:15)

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-6)