But God
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26
I’m sometimes surprised by what angers people. To finish this I have to make a confession. I read “Dear Abby” everyday in the newspaper. I started when my daughter was in Junior High and she was reading it so I decided I had better know what was in the letters. It’s now a habit and I find it amusing sometimes, confusing sometimes, and down right aggravating other times!
Today was a confusing time. I learned that there are people who think that other people are wrong – like they were breaking some law of etiquette – because they put food on their plates at a meal and eat all of one thing, then they move on to the next thing and eat all of that before they taste anything else. They finish eating by consuming one food at a time until their plate is empty.
People write to “Dear Abby” wanting to know if these people are, indeed, breaking etiquette! It angers them to see this behavior at a table where they are also eating. It reminded me of a friend of mine who told me she had been in an argument with her husband because he was driving them to the mall and she thought he took the wrong route. They got to the mall but she didn’t like the way he took them. She stood her ground that he was wrong and they had an all out fight about it!
I find myself in the same sort of disbelief as when people get mad about where they park their car – like having to walk 50 feet to their door is some sort of abuse from a neighbor.
I have helped an elderly woman a couple of times and as we were talking if something was said that was hard to take or about a difficult situation she would just say, “But God.” It was as if she wanted to remind me that God is always there with the “but I have it under control” or the “but I know how you feel” or the “but I will take care of you.”
As I was reading these letters to “Dear Abby” today I was thinking, “But God” doesn’t care about the order we eat our food.” “But God” does care about how we treat others. If we are getting angered by inconsequential issues like the order someone eats their food, the route they take to the mall, and where people park their cars what on earth are we saying about our priorities? Do people forget that God hears all of our conversations?
“But God” must be grieved that we are not more kind and humble with others. Do these things matter in light of eternity? Should we be getting angry over such trivial things? In his letter to the Romans Paul said to them, “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions,” Romans 14:1.
What order to eat our food, the route we take to get someplace, and where to park the car are opinions. There are no Biblical or civil laws that set these things in stone. We need to ease up so we can get to more important talk. We may be sitting in anger and judgment of another “but God” is waiting for us to point others to Him as we always consider them more important than ourselves.
Here are some of the “But God” verses from the Bible:
Psalm 49:15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.
Psalm 68:21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
Act 10:40-41 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 11:22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.
2Corinthians 7:6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.
Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved–
2Timothy 2:19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”