Is Your "But" Covered?

How often you are showing your but may surprise you.

"But God” is the abrupt and striking introduction to a multitude of instances in Holy Scripture, where divine interposition turns an impending evil into a blessing.
- Charles Spurgeon

In 1505, Martin Luther found himself in the middle of a terrifying thunderstorm. He was so scared that he was sure he was going to die. He promised God he’d become a monk if he made it out alive. And you know what? He did survive and he kept his promise.

His simple, wholehearted trust in God led him to become a key figure in the Protestant Reformation and change the world forever. Luther’s story reminds me of the kind of trust we all aspire to have. He didn’t add any “buts” to his vow. He just trusted and followed through.

The Challenge of Belief

I know sometimes it feels really hard to maintain that kind of trust. We often say, “I trust God, but…” It’s like we can’t help but add a disclaimer, right? We’re not alone in this. Many of us face this challenge, especially in today’s world. One story that relates the idea we are exploring today is the Bible’s account of when God commanded Jacob to return to his homeland. If it’s been a while since you have read it, here is a link. (Genisis 32:7-33:4)

God had blessed Jacob with a large family, success and riches. But Jacob still feared that God would let his estranged brother Esau kill him. He feared a fight that never happened and ended up in a fight he never expected. The night before meeting Esau, Jacob wrestled with an angel. This angel wouldn’t bless Jacob until Jacob released him. It was only after letting go that Jacob received his blessing and was able to reconcile with Esau.

Jacob’s story illustrates the problem with showing our “buts” when trusting God, how the problem causes us to doubt and how to overcome it by letting the problem go. It also shows why trying to control God’s blessings doesn’t work. Let’s dig into this “thorn in the flesh” that many of us will struggle with. (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)

Our “Buts” are Born in Conflict

Our belief in God sometimes conflicts with our everyday experiences. We believe in God’s word, but then we see things happening around us that don’t quite match up. When these truths don’t align, we try to resolve the tension with a “but.” That is how our human nature works by default.

God’s word was written so long ago, in a culture that’s vastly different from ours. It can be tough to understand how we should apply its message to our current lives. That’s why we turn to pastors, faith leaders and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. The truth we need is always found in the Bible’s pages. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) When we find it, we try to hold it close to our hearts.

But our personal experiences shape another kind of truth for us: experiential truth. Our eyes and ears seem to be telling us one thing and God’s word seems to be telling us something different. Sometimes, we hold these experiences that we believe to be truth long after things have changed and their truth has expired.

Our historical, experiential truth feels like timeless truth if we let it into our heart. That is how experiential truth is able to compete with God’s truth.  And we know that something isn’t right. So, we weave a safety net out of our “buts,” hoping it will comfort and protect us. Instead, it often leaves us tangled in worry and fear, keeping us from fully trusting God.

The Weight of Blessings

Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I am so blessed, but…”? We can acknowledge God’s goodness in our lives but then hint that it’s not quite enough with our “buts.” It’s not that we’re ungrateful or greedy. It’s just that sometimes, the weight of our blessings feels heavy. We know we’re forgiven, yet we still feel guilty. We forget that we’re saved by grace, not by anything we’ve done.

We count our blessings and genuinely thank God, but then we start worrying about the next challenge. We fear what’s happening or what might happen, and suddenly, there’s that “but” again, conditioning our trust in God. We also forget that the Bible says, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” (Luke 12:48)

What is required of us for those blessings is according to God’s perfect will and meant for our good. But it doesn’t always seem that way. There will be times in life when it will be easy to think that the devil is out to get us when it’s actually God teaching us, showing us how to trust Him completely and be closer to Him.

The Battle of Doubt and Fear

No one was there to help Jacob when he wrestled with the angel of God. His unexpected fight came after he had isolated himself. Many of us tend to do that in times of trial. That often leads to the hardest battles, the ones we fight alone, against our invisible fears. These are deep, internal struggles. It’s hard to even describe these battles to others, let alone invite someone in to help. Those battles are part of the cross we bear as Christians living in a fallen world.

Things won’t always work out the way we expected when we first believed. There may be times when you wonder how all of what we claim in our faith can be true. A time may come when you face intense doubt and feel overwhelmed by situations beyond your control. That is when being able to trust God completely is so important.

We can’t stop these things from happening. We can’t control them. They will cause doubts, anxiety, and fear. But here’s the good news: Our loving God knows all of this. We can be free to accept that bad things happen without suffering in fear of them, but only when we learn not to hold on to them so tightly that they get into our heart.

Let them teach you, make you stronger and wiser, but keep them outside of you. Then let them go. Cling to the things you know from when you first believed.

How to Really Let Go and Let God

You’ve probably seen those bumper stickers or t-shirts that say, “Let Go and Let God.” How many times have you seen a driver that obviously wasn’t taking the advice on their bumper? Or the parent wearing that shirt at a child’s sporting event that couldn’t seem to let anything go? It’s such a simple phrase yet living it can be tough.

At some point, we all make commitments to improve our lives or promise something to God in fear of an oncoming trial. We might say, “God, if you help me with this, I’ll do this other thing for the rest of my life.” But God knows our hearts. Bargaining with God for his blessings is really a desire to control His blessings, and we can’t fully give our lives to Christ while trying to maintain control.

Every Life Has It’s Buts

Let me share a personal story. There was a time when I was really struggling. So many plans had fallen through the cracks that it seemed that I was trapped without any options, waiting for what I expected to be a very bad outcome. I prayed and told God I trusted Him, that I loved Him, that I knew His will was best, but I kept adding “buts” to my prayers: “God, please give me your peace, but pleeeease don’t let this happen.” It was exhausting.

Finally, I decided to truly let go and trust God completely with my fears. Sure enough, things started to change. Not only did the situation improve, but the worst of what I feared never even happened. It was a tough time but I made it through with a profound sense of peace and freedom.

Things to Try

Here are a few things that have helped me trust God more fully:

1. Prayer: Spend time in prayer, not just asking for things, but listening to God and surrendering your worries to Him.

2. Study: Read the Bible every day to remind yourself of God’s promises and His faithfulness.

3. Community: Surround yourself with supportive friends and family who encourage your faith and remind you of God’s goodness.

4. Gratitude: Keep a gratitude journal. I call it my journal of all the “God Things” that happen. Write down the blessings you receive, especially the unexpected ones, and thank God for them without any “buts.”

Resting in God’s Love

Perhaps the best way to deal with our “buts” is to focus on the blessings of the “buts” in the Bible. Did you know the Bible says “But God” at between 30 and 44 times, depending on the version? And every time afterward, God steps in to solve a problem or deliver a blessing, often in miraculous ways beyond what anyone would have ever dreamed possible.

I believe that God has incredible blessings for you that you haven’t even imagined yet. When He decides to bless you, it’s not because of anything you’ve done or who you are. It’s because of who’s you are. He will bless you because you belong to Him. There is no “but” about it.

I hope that reflecting on all of this will renew your spirit. Remember, you’re not alone in this journey, and you’re deeply loved. Let’s keep trusting together, believing that God has already covered all of our “buts.”

Author's Note: From time to time, I lightly edit and repost one of the messages from my archive, from a time when I had less than 100 subscribers and was writing primarily for my Bible study class. This article was originally published on June 9, 2024.

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