BUT GOD

 AUGUST 26, 2022

Ephesians 2:4-6



But God, 

being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us…made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…



What we have been saying in our devotions this week is that Biblical Lament and speaking the words of lament in the context of what we believe from God’s Word, will help us to wrestle with challenging circumstances. Lament in the scriptures says to never deny the existence of a problem, or painful circumstance. What Biblical Lament does invite us to do, is to face those hard places with the truth about God’s character, what God has done, and what God promises to do. Deliberately putting the two words that our above reading starts with “But God” into our claims about what we know about God, will help us to stay focused on the truth and bring hope and triumph to the challenges we must face in life. In every struggle that we Lament, let God’s Word have the final say. I believe that’s the pathway of FAITH seeking UNDERSTANDING.

This pathway leads us from “My God, My God why have you forsaken me” of Psalm 22:1 to "I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you…. For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise.” (Psalm 22:22 ff)