(…continued) You have often been told to use your head. I am suggesting also use your ‘but.’ Use it like these Biblical writers for the strengthening of your faith as you remember God’s past faithfulness. Everyone has a story to tell of trouble in their life. And every person of faith can tell a story of how God has brought them through, or, of how God’s future promises sustain them even in the midst of ongoing troubles. Take a moment to consider your own stories of trouble, and how you can make the phrase “BUT GOD” a part of the way you tell the story of your life.
We often wonder how we can share our faith with someone else. One of the best ways you can share your faith with another is by just telling them your story, describing what Jesus means to you and how God has made a difference in your life. And somewhere in your story, you can use your ‘but.’ That is what the former slave-trader John Newton was doing when he wrote, “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.” You do not have to tell people what they need to do for God. You can simply tell them what God has done for you.
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Storyteller is a wonderful song about telling others the story of how God has been active in your life. Right in the center of the song’s lyrics is the word BUT, as we hear of God’s presence in the dark times of the singer’s life. Don’t miss the video below, which not only sings about telling stories, but also tells a few stories of people whose lives were troubled, BUT GOD…
STORYTELLER, 2015, Sung by Morgan Harper Nichols (with Jamie Grace)
Written by Jamie Grace and Paul Mabury
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On a Sunday evening I’m looking back over all the years and where I’ve been
Looking at old photographs I’m remember you were right there, and you have been ever since
With every page that turns I see your faithfulness
Oh the mountain where I climbed
The valley where I fell
You were there all along
That’s the story I’ll tell
You brought the pieces together
Made me this storyteller
Now I know it is well, it is well
That’s the story I’ll tell
There were some nights that felt like
They would last forever
BUT you kept me breathing
You were with me right then
And all that you have done for me I could never hold it in
So here’s to me telling this story
Over and over again
Oh the mountain where I climbed
The valley where I fell
You were there all along
That’s the story I’ll tell
You brought the pieces together
Made me this storyteller
Now I know it is well, it is well
That’s the story I’ll tell
You hold the broken
You hear my every cry, every cry
My eyes are open I know that it is well, it is well
That’s the story I’ll tell
For years and years and years I’ll tell
That’s the story I’ll tell…
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Psalm 78:4b — …We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.
1 Peter 3:13-15a — Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
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My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
–Psalm 73:26
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