BUT GOD!

Are you going through something difficult right now, experiencing pain or disappointment from a situation that just doesn’t seem fair? Or maybe you’ve come to a place in life that seems like a dead end...like you no longer have any options or hope for change?

I’ve been there many times; maybe you have too. But I am so grateful that over the years God has taught me that no matter what hurt or difficulty we may face, there is no situation that’s too difficult for Him to handle.

In Genesis chapters 37 through 45, you can read about Joseph. His story gives us a powerful example of how all things are possible with God, even in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances.

The Bible says Joseph was the favorite of his father’s 12 sons, and his brothers were very jealous of him because of it. One day Joseph shared with them a dream he’d had. In his dream, they were all bowing down to him. Needless to say, it didn’t go over well!

As a result, his brothers got together to decide how to get rid of Joseph. First, they threw him into a pit to leave him there to die. But later they decided to sell him into slavery to a band of traveling Ishmaelite merchants. They then devised a plan to convince their father of Joseph’s death.

Miraculously, this story has a wonderful ending. Joseph becomes second in command to Pharaoh and God uses him to save many people from starvation during a seven-year famine. Also, he is eventually reunited with his family, and all is forgiven. We see that even after all of the terrible things they had done to him, Joseph was willing to forgive. In Genesis 50:20, he says, You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

And Acts 7:9 (NIV) says, Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him.

BUT GOD! Those are two of my favorite words in the Bible.

They basically mean it doesn’t matter what anyone else does; if God is for me, who can be against me? The truth is we can have peace, hope and joy during the hardest, most painful times if we really believe His Word more than what we think or feel or what our circumstances look like.

I know from personal experience what it’s like to go through situations that seem impossible...how it feels to hurt so bad you don’t think you’re going to make it. In fact, for the first 23 years of my life, I endured a lot of painful experiences that left me bitter, resentful, and constantly blaming other people.

As a child, I was sexually abused by my father. My mother eventually found out, but fear prevented her from confronting the issue, so the abuse went on for years. When I turned eighteen, I married the first man who came along because I was convinced no other man would ever want me. But this only led to more pain. We ended up divorced after I discovered he was cheating on me with other women and was involved in criminal activities.

I want you to know that I understand what it’s like to be mistreated and to endure injustices that make you wonder how anything good can come out of them. In those times it’s easy to give in to discouragement and lose our hope for change or breakthrough.

But that’s when the best thing we can do is say, “God, I’m going to trust You because nothing is too hard for You, and You can take anything that’s wrong and make it right!”

One of the most amazing things about our relationship with God is that if you love Him and trust Him, no matter how painful or unfair your situation may be, God will take it and somehow make it work out for your good. If you’ll keep loving God and trusting Him no matter what you’re going through, He will get you to a place that will leave you with jaw-dropping awe. And you won’t have to know how He’s going to do it as long as you know He’s with you. There’s nothing that can destroy you if you put your hope in God and believe that something good is going to happen to you!

The bottom line is God wants us to trust Him through things—even when we’re experiencing difficulties or when life isn’t working out the way we hoped it would. Because trusting God allows us to enjoy our lives even when everything is not the way we want it to be.

I want to give you a few scriptures that will help you go through your difficulties with a “But God!” attitude...

• Jesus tells us in John 16:33 (NIV), ...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
• In Matthew 19:26 (NIV), He declares that although many things are impossible for us, with God all things are possible.
• Romans 8:28 (NIV) assures us that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
• And Romans 8:37 (NIV) says, In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

I love how we can see these truths demonstrated through Joseph’s life in Scripture. God used the cruel circumstances and injustices he went through to get Joseph to a place where He could use him to help a whole nation when the time was right.

So whatever is going on in your life today—whatever you’ve endured and whatever doesn’t seem fair—I want you to know that you’re not invisible to God. He’s with you, He knows exactly how much you can take, and He will bring you to the place He wants you to be...where you can fulfill His purpose and plan for your life.

Just remember that no matter how impossible it may seem for you to go through the pain and difficulty you’re facing, something good can happen to you if you’ll simply believe: But God!