Sep 142 min read

"But God." Fact-Check It in the Bible

Updated: Oct 27

I have always loved starting sentences with “But.” It kind of adds a dramatic twist—contrasting what has already been said.

And so it really intrigued me when Pastor Joseph, a family friend, pointed out how much he loved “But God” moments in the Bible. In fact, that phrase shows up more than 40 times throughout the Old and New Testaments.

“But God” moments highlight stories of people who are going through really tough times—feeling hopeless and helpless. “But God” showed up offering encouragement and strength in adversity.

When times are challenging, remember that God holds the ending. If we focus on His truth, all the other things will become strangely dim. And this fact can be a ray of sunshine on an otherwise dreary day.

Pastor Joseph said the biggest “But God” in the Bible was Ephesians 2:4-5. Very teeny-tiny in the margins of my Bible, I found notes from that sermon in black ink: “Death is hopeless, but the pinnacle of our success is ‘But God.’”

(If you're interested in sharing this encouraging message, please feel free to use this "But God" poster. Shirts and a cap are available in our site store. Please let me know how this makes a positive difference in your life by emailing me. Thank you. God bless.)

Listed below are times "But God" is used in the Bible:

1 Chronicles 28:3