But God: the Words that Change Everything

One of the harder responsibilities of a faith-based relationship with Christ is to have a solid understanding of and firm conviction in the two words: But God.

These are the words that help us define faith not in terms of what it is, but how we express it in our lives. Faith exposes whom we trust and what we anticipate by that trust. It speaks of an expectation founded upon a confidence that, beyond how things appear, there is a God without limitation who can bring about any outcome He so orders. Based upon His faithfulness, He then calls us into the privilege of living in the realm of anything being possible until we reach the point when those possibilities would conflict with His planned outcome.

Which means: the opera isn’t over until the fat lady sings is probably, nearly Biblical. If we take the idea of what Yogi Berra meant as being true, then we know until she’s on the stage there is room for possibilities, change, things can still happen to affect the outcome. Until she shows up we know there is still hope.

Paul says, we hope for what we have not seen, not for what we have seen. We live in the interlude of what is going on and how it will be resolved. From the beginning of the opera to the final song much can happen, much can change. It is our period of hope.

The mantra during the period of hope is But God. All the details may be on the table, the cold and hard facts, but God…  All the signs and implications point to only one conclusion, but God… All the plans are laid out and bare with nothing looking promising, but God…

When we stand on But God, we are placing our trust in infinite possibility. Until God is finished, nothing’s over. Until God is done, the plan is still cooking. Until God says, “That’s it, come home,” we stay and fulfill a life of faithfully following the God who loves us and has given Himself for us.

Join me on the pedestal? There’s room for all who will stand upon the promises of God’s faithfulness and will declare, “In light of all that’s going on, the greater truth by far is BUT GOD!”