Those two words might be my favorite words in all of Scripture — and honestly, my favorite concept for how life actually works.
Let me explain.
A Song That Wouldn’t Leave My Head
In 1986, a hip hop artist named Sir Mix-a-Lot released a song titled “Baby Got Back.” It’s a song that still gets played in certain circles from time to time, and it opens with a line most of us could finish without help:
“I like big butts and I cannot lie…”
The song is obviously talking about body parts. But as I was preparing this word, that opening phrase came to mind — because that same sentence applies to most of us, just in a completely different way.
Think about how often your own inner monologue sounds like this:
“I would go work out today, but I’m too tired.”
“I want to talk to my friend about this issue, but I don’t like confrontation.”
“I want to do great things, but I’m too old.” (or too young)
“I would do [whatever it is], but[insert any excuse you own].”
Do you see what’s happening? Every time we follow a statement with the word but, we erase everything that came before it. The but swallows the sentence.
And in real life, that little word gets big. Life inflates the but until it looks like a wall — and that wall keeps us from doing the things we know we should do, the things we were made to do.
Well, I want to tell you something: it’s time for all of us to get off our buts.
Because the next time you catch yourself saying but, you have the option to follow it with something else entirely.
But God.
The Two Words That Change Everything
When I say “But God” is my favorite phrase in the Bible, I’m not exaggerating. I love it because of what it always does. It never appears in Scripture to cancel hope — it appears to redirect it. Just look at how it shows up:
Genesis 50:20 — “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Psalm 49:15 — “But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.”
1 Corinthians 1:27 — “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
Ephesians 2:4-5 — “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.”
Matthew 19:26 — Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Every single time, someone had reached the end of their own strength. Someone had filled in the blank after the but with a dead end. And God stepped in and rewrote the sentence.
Mercy and Grace: The Engine Behind “But God”
Here’s what makes the whole thing work: it rests entirely on God’s mercy and grace.
Those two words get used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. Here’s the clearest way I know to put it:
Mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve. It’s deliverance from judgment. It’s God not giving us what we do deserve.
Grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we don’t deserve it. It’s extending kindness to the unworthy. It’s God giving us something we don’t deserve.
Mercy says, “I won’t give you what you’ve earned.” Grace says, “I’ll give you what you never could have earned.”
And when those two work together, you get a But God statement. There are countless things we have access to because of it — but today I want to look at just three.
1. God’s Mercy and Grace Give Us Salvation
Titus 3:5 — “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 — “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast.”
The apostle Paul knew he had received God’s mercy, and he knew full well he didn’t deserve it. But God — the most wonderful two words ever put together — gave it to him anyway.
You see, Paul made a lot of mistakes before he was saved. He was essentially an old-time Charles Manson, responsible for the death of a lot of Christians. Then one day, on the road to Damascus, Paul received God’s mercy instead of the judgment he deserved. Not only that — grace was given to him too. A new name (Saul became Paul). A new life. A new mission. None of it based on anything he could boast in.
He was forever thankful. And so am I.
2. God’s Mercy and Grace Give Us Help in Times of Trouble
Hebrews 4:16 — “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
We all face difficult, trying seasons. If you’ve lived very long at all, you’ve cried — I know I have. But there is good news: the help and comfort we need is always available during those times, and it’s all because of God’s mercy and grace.
Nobody has earned the help God gives us each day. Honestly, we all deserve to reap the results of our bad choices without any comfort at all. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “You made your bed, now lie in it.” We do find ourselves in trouble because of our own choices sometimes — but God shows mercy by not leaving us alone, and then shows grace by giving us help anyway.
What have any of us done for God lately that He owes us a favor? He is God. He doesn’t need anything from us. Everything we’re given is because of His loving grace and mercy.
I’m so thankful for the blessings God gives me — especially the ones I never earned.
3. God’s Mercy and Grace Give Us Strength to Endure
2 Corinthians 4:1 — “Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up.”
Philippians 4:13 — “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
The Berean Literal Bible puts it this way: “I have strength for all things in the One strengthening me.”
Sometimes life gets so stressful it feels like we can’t make it through one more day. But there is good news: we are not alone. God’s mercy and grace strengthen us and sustain us so we don’t have to give up. We can endure whatever comes our way because He gives us strength and walks through it with us.
We may feel alone, abandoned, too weak to make it — but God never leaves us or forsakes us. We have a friend in Jesus, a friend who sticks closer than a brother. When it seems like we can’t go another step, He tells us to cast our cares on Him, because He cares for us. His mercy and grace are new every morning, always available.
The Man Who Built the Thing
I want to share a short story about Henry Ford.
One day Ford was driving through the Michigan countryside when he saw a man whose Model T had broken down alongside the road. Mr. Ford stopped and asked if he could take a look and see if he could fix it. The man said yes. In just a matter of minutes, Mr. Ford had the car running again.
The man told him he sure was impressed. Henry Ford replied, “Well, I should be able to fix it — after all, I’m the one who designed it.”
God designed us. And whatever might be wrong with us, God is able to fix it. There is nothing God cannot do.
So the next time life throws you something that makes you pause and start a sentence with but — I want you to remember the biggest but of all.
But God.
Go to Him. Take advantage of His mercy and grace today.
It turns out I really do like big buts. And I cannot lie.
More “But God” Verses to Study
If you want to go deeper, here are a few more of my favorites:
Genesis 8:1 — “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.”
Genesis 31:42 — “…But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.”
1 Samuel 23:14 — “Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.”
Nehemiah 9:17 — “…But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them.”
Psalm 73:26 — “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Isaiah 40:8 — “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Jonah 2:6 — “…But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.”
John 1:18 — “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”
Acts 2:24 — “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”
Romans 5:8 — “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 6:23 — “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:9 — “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.”
2 Timothy 2:9 — “…But God’s word is not chained.”
What’s one “but” you’ve been carrying lately? I’d love to hear it — drop it in the comments and let’s trade it for a “But God” together.
