It’s a little word that can change everything in a second. It’s responsible for turning points in sentences and some of the most dramatic moments in reality TV. And when you pair it with God, you have some of my favorite verses in the Bible. Just when everything seems hopeless, we see these words: But God. 

This month we are going to be digging deep into Ephesians 2:4-5. But before we get to the good news, we need to acknowledge the bad news. We find a grim situation in Ephesians 2:1-3. We were dead in our sins and actively chasing disobedience and wickedness. Like all of mankind since Adam’s fall, we were deserving of God’s wrath because of our sin (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23). We were without hope and powerless to change our standing before God. 

But God. 

“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.” (Ephesians 2:4–5)

Our spiritual situation was hopeless—but God intervened. We were dead in our sins—but God gave us new life. We couldn’t keep God’s law—but Jesus obeyed perfectly in our place. We couldn’t atone for our sin—but Christ gave His life for us. We deserved death—but Christ conquered death and rose again. 

As we look around at a world filled with sin, disease, and difficulty, let’s remember that behind what we can see, there’s a “but God.” We’re hurting, but God is working all things for our good. We’re exhausted, but God will sustain us with His strength. We’re lonely, but God will never leave our side. We’re suffering, but God is preparing an eternal glory beyond our wildest dreams. 

No matter what you face this week, remember that “but God” changes everything. 

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One of my favorite childhood books was Ramona the Pest. On Ramona’s first day of school, her smiling teacher welcomes her to the classroom, ushers her to her desk, and tells her, “Sit here for the present.” And so Ramona sits all day, waiting for the gift she expects to receive as a reward her for her obedience. She’s devastated and humiliated to discover at the end of the day that “present” means “for now.” That’s a disappointing first day of school! 

Do you ever feel like Ramona? Maybe you’re clinging to a promise of God, waiting for the present, but you feel like you’ve been left hanging for so long. You’re starting to wonder if your wait will end in disappointment. 

As Arthur Pink says in his book The Attributes of God: “It is one thing to accept the faithfulness of God as a Divine truth, it is quite another to act upon it” (p. 68, emphasis original). Waiting may seem passive, but waiting with expectation is one way we can act on our belief in God’s faithfulness. Waiting with joy, peace, and contentment shows our dependence on God when we haven’t yet seen His promises fulfilled in our circumstances. 

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”  (Psalm 62:5)

When you wait for the Lord and place your hope in Him, He will be your steady rock. He will be your fortress – your safe refuge. And He will be your salvation and your Redeemer.  

Ramona didn’t just accept her teacher’s statement that a present was coming – she acted on it. While her action ended in disappointment, ours most definitely will not. 

No matter what you face this week, you can trust God’s faithfulness while you wait. 

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One day when my son was little, I asked him what he wanted for lunch. “Chips,” he replied quickly and confidently. I asked what he wanted with his chips, and he answered, “Dip.” Unfortunately for him, I didn’t think chips and dip were good choices for lunch, and I didn’t give him what he asked for. 

I think of that day when I feel like God is answering my prayers. Just as my son asked for what he thought would make a good lunch, I ask God for what seems good to me. I’m expecting God to get on board with my fantastic plans. But it doesn’t always turn out that way. Did He not hear my prayer? Was He unable to provide? Or did He just not want to? 

Psalm 66:19 tells us that God listens to our prayers. Psalm 135:6 teaches that God does everything that He pleases. And Matthew 7:11 shows God’s desire to give good gifts to His children: 

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11) 

If God hears our prayers, if God is able to give us everything He chooses, and if God delights in giving good gifts to His children, why doesn’t He always say yes to our requests? 

When God withholds that which we think is good, we need to trust that we actually asked for chips and dip. God knows what is truly for our good. He gives good gifts and withholds what isn’t for our good. Sometimes this doesn’t make any sense at all from our limited, earthly perspective. But we can trust Him to always give us what’s for our best. 

No matter what you face this week, God will give you what is good. 

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Four years ago, I started a weekly series on my blog called “No Matter What Monday.” I looked ahead at my week and saw challenges. I wondered about struggles that could pop up unexpectedly. And I knew I needed to be clinging to the one constant in life: the truth of God’s character. 

Maybe you think I’ve been writing these devotionals for you for the past 4 years. I have been writing them for you, but I’ve also been writing them for me. I get so distracted by daily life, and I need constant reminders of God’s promises. 

Here’s a throw back to the first No Matter What Monday from 2016: 

Os Guiness writes, “Christians do not say, ‘I do not understand you at all, but I trust you anyway.’ Rather we say, ‘I do not understand you in this situation, but I understand why I trust you anyway.’” 

Can you say that? Do you understand why you trust God even when you don’t understand what He’s doing?  

God has proved His trustworthiness in many ways—in our lives, in His Word, and in history. The ultimate demonstration of His trustworthiness was the cross of Jesus Christ. 

“He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? “ (Romans 8:32)

God made the greatest sacrifice to meet our greatest need when He gave His Son for the salvation of sinners. He proved that He will go to any lengths necessary to meet the needs of His beloved children. Therefore, we can trust Him.  

Our trust wanes and falters at times, doesn’t it? I know mine does! I’m thankful that my hope is in God’s unchangeable character, not my own fickle faith.  

We may not trust perfectly, and some days we may not even feel like trusting at all. But God’s grace, we can cling to our understanding of God’s character, even when we don’t understand our circumstances.  

No matter what we face this week, God can be trusted.  

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