“Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel. I have cared for you since you were born; yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you!” Isaiah 46: 3-4
BUT: a very small word with big implications. Its technical meaning is to indicate the impossibility of anything other than what is being stated. I was once told that BUT basically means you are wrong, and I am right; anything before the but does not matter.
This is so hard to implement in life. So often when we are hurt, we say “yea…but!” We try to explain ourselves to others; we give reasons and then follow up with BUT. It becomes our deflective shield to protect ourselves from the uncomfortable feelings. We are defensive and reluctant to change. Now try to envision your life free of BUT’s with an open heart to change and reconciliation.
What does but mean and how does it show up in our relationship with God? Isaiah reminds us that God has carried us our entire existence. He directly tells us that GOD carries us, sustains us, and even rescues us. How good are we at accepting God’s sustenance? How good are we at giving God control? When we go to God in prayer it is easy to layout our requests. It is simple to pour out our hearts to a loving God. BUT what happens when we feel like God does not answer? What if God’s direction takes a different turn that we anticipated? How quickly do we revert from God is good to I hear you God, but…In our lack of understanding, we negate God’s goodness and take control back. We create an obstacle so God cannot carry us; we take away God’s place as the ultimate power and put ourselves in his seat.
When we do this, we counteract the presence of God. God should be the wind that upholds our wings and propels us forward. However, we transform into a headwind against his will and purpose in our life. Our lives are meant to be examples of God’s goodness and direction not roadblocks for him to power through. This small word BUT creates tension between us and God. We cannot accept blessings in store as our hearts and hands are not open. We unexpectedly become the source of our own pain. Isaiah also tells us in 46:10 that God’s purpose will stand. Our objections, no matter their form are worthless. God will always prevail. We must challenge our faith to go deeper. We must test our faith to remove BUT from our vocabulary and relinquish control to God.
Dear God,
We ask you to remove our objections from our hearts and minds. We ask that you give us courage to lean not into our own understanding and have faith in your will. Make us humble servants with a deep faith that you will carry us forward just as you have carried us this far. Amen.
