…but God: A Mini Blog

…but God

My favorite two words in a testimony take place right in the middle. They happen right before you’re about to tell the best part of the story, the one where everything changes—the one where God steps in.

These two words, “but God,” carry a power that’s hard to put into words. Because they’re not just a transition, they’re a transformation. They’re the moment heaven breaks into your brokenness. The moment your pain meets purpose. The moment your story, the one you thought was ending, suddenly begins again.

I think we often gloss over those words. We rush through them to get to the part that feels victorious… the healing, the breakthrough, the redemption. But I’ve learned that the beauty of a testimony isn’t just found in the victory; it’s found in the interruption. The moment when everything was falling apart, and then… God stepped in.

Two small words. One infinite hope.

But God.

When we read the story of Joseph in Genesis, we see the power of those two words written all over his life. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and left in prison. For years, it must have felt like the pain would never end, like God had forgotten him. But He hadn’t. God was working behind the scenes, turning betrayal into blessing and suffering into salvation.

When Joseph finally stood before his brothers years later, the same ones who sold him, he said something that still gives me chills:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” — Genesis 50:20

That’s the power of “but God.”

It’s the bridge between despair and deliverance. Between what was meant to destroy you and what God used to define you.

I can’t count the number of times I thought my story was over. The nights when fear consumed me, when anxiety made me believe there was no way out, when loneliness whispered that I was forgotten. But God met me there, in the middle of the pain, and reminded me that He was still writing.

Maybe you’re in that place right now. The in-between. The waiting. The heartbreak. The silence. Maybe your story doesn’t make sense yet. But friend, the same God who turned Joseph’s prison into purpose and the cross into resurrection is still writing your story too.

You might not see the “good” yet. You might still be standing in the middle of the mess, wondering where God is. But if your story isn’t good, it just means it isn’t finished.

Because our stories may start with struggle…

our hearts may break along the way…

our faith may falter in the middle…

…but God.