Good morning…
I have been tenderized by two words for nearly two weeks: …But God… These two words linger from the Easter morning sermon I experienced. Louie Giglio, pastor of Passion City, rattled off several hypothetical scenarios in which these two words break into ordinary lives.
“I was caught in the ugly web of addiction and lost everything I loved …But God… met me in my pain, I surrendered to Him my life, and the LORD is empowering me to get well, day by day.”
“I was a regular church goer, slogging through the motions, relegating faith to one hour on Sundays …But God… woke me up, inviting me into intimate friendship, and this new faith adventure is bringing me alive.”
“I was trapped in my painful cave of sorrow and grief …But God… lit for me one candle at a time during my excruciating days and nights, guiding me from complete darkness toward His inextinguishable light.”
This morning, I feel compelled to put the words …But God… into the online Bible program I love to use daily, Bible Gateway. Together, let’s see what pops up.
Wow. Just wow. I discover there are 612 …But God… references in the New International Version translation of the Bible. On Easter Sunday, Louie preached from this …But God… passage in Acts 2:22-24: “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 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.”
Whatever circumstances surround us today, we need to trust in …But God… power. Divorced mother of confused kids, trust in …But God… power, a new life-giving normal will eventually form around you. Parent or spouse, child or friend who has buried a loved one, trust in …But God… power, peace and genuine joy will someday fill your veins again. Those battling illness or addiction or mental instability, trust in …But God… power, we are in intimate relationship with a God who has the power to heal us whole. Placing ourselves into the scripture above, in the LORD’s time and the LORD’s way, we will experience: “But God raised me from the dead, freeing me from the agony of death, because it is impossible for death to keep its hold on me.”
And God has not only raised the Lord [to life], but will also raise us up by His power, 1 Corinthians 6:14 (AMP),
Sue
