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"But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of His great love with which He loved us."
(Ephesians 2:4)
I think we would all agree that we could all use messages of hope during these crazy times. These are some very chaotic, challenging, and, in many ways, unprecedented days in which we live. I have never seen so many major events converging like they are presently. Hurricanes and fires are causing severe property loss and damage and the loss of precious human lives. The political divide is deeper than ever. Societal unrest is growing amid racism, riots, and vigilante killings. And of course there is still the lingering COVID-19 pandemic and government-imposed lockdowns all across our nation and our world. In the US alone, hundreds of thousands have lost their health or their very lives, and tens of millions have lost their jobs and simple comforts that once brought them joy.
Yes, these are trying days... but God. I love that little statement: "But God." It is one that provides comfort and perspective for the child of God. When things are difficult and we are faced with trying circumstances, we can always say with confidence, "But God." There are 668 instances throughout the Bible where the phrase is used, and many of those are like Genesis 50:20, where the two words appear together: "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 alive." Oftentimes in Scripture, before the small phrase "but God" is used, it is preceded with situations of difficulty or trying circumstances.
It is not uncommon for me to be wide awake around 3:00AM. The first thing I try to do is open up my Bible App, YouVersion, and read the verse for the day. Then I scroll through the news feed to catch up on what is going on. One day last week as I read the news, I was discouraged by all the talk of climate change and how it is to blame even for poor coffee crops in Central America. Most of the news we read is, well to be honest, quite discouraging. When we are tempted to despair, we should interject these two powerful words, "But God," which help remind us that God is very much in control.
One of the biblical passages in which the words "but God" are used is Ephesians 2:3-5 which states, "Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 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 (by grace you have been saved)."
Yes, these are very challenging days, and we may be tempted to give up or give in. But God! God is for us, and as His children, we know He cares for us and will bring us through every difficult season of life. He gives us His Holy Spirit and the Church to support us and get us through to better days. Tough times do abound... but God!
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But God!
In the midst of so much suffering, calamity, and hardship in our world today, you may have developed spiritual amnesia and forgotten how awesome God is and how, through Christ, we are more than conquerors. This episode serves to remind us of Who our God is and help us take heart in His power and all He has done for us.
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