We all have chapters in our lives we wish we could rewrite. Seasons filled with disappointment, loss, unanswered prayers, broken relationships, financial strain, health scares, regret, and long stretches of wondering if things will ever change. Moments when hope feels thin, faith feels fragile, and God feels distant. Times when the story seems to be heading toward an ending we never wanted. In those seasons, it’s easy to believe that this chapter will define the whole book. Yet again and again, life proves that our stories are rarely finished where we think they are, because somewhere in the middle of the pain and uncertainty, two powerful words often appear: But God.
Those words change everything. They tend to show up when you have reached the end of yourself—when the diagnosis doesn’t make sense, when the job disappears, when the relationship collapses, when the addiction feels stronger than your will, when prayers seem unanswered, and when you are exhausted from trying to be strong. “But God” enters the story when you have done all you know how to do and still feel empty. It does not always arrive loudly or quickly, and it rarely comes in the way you expected. Still, it comes faithfully, reminding you that God has never stepped away from your story.
When Hope Feels Out of Reach
Throughout Scripture and history, this pattern repeats itself. Joseph was betrayed and imprisoned, but God raised him to leadership. David was hunted and hiding, but God established his kingdom. Ruth was widowed and poor, but God wrote her into redemption. Peter failed publicly, but God restored him completely. Paul was imprisoned, but God used him to change the world. Over and over, the story appears hopeless until God intervenes. He specializes in working in unfinished chapters, in broken places, and in moments when the future looks closed off.
The “but God” moment represents divine interruption. It is when God steps into situations that seem final and reminds the world that He is still sovereign. It is when provision appears that shouldn’t exist, when strength shows up that you didn’t have, when doors open that were once sealed shut, when peace arrives in the middle of chaos, and when healing begins where answers once ended. This does not mean the pain was imaginary or the struggle unnecessary. It means that none of it was wasted. God does not erase difficult chapters; He redeems them and weaves them into something meaningful.
From Breaking Point to Turning Point
Often, the “but God” part of our story comes after we have reached a breaking point. It comes when pride is gone, when control is surrendered, when self-reliance collapses, and when all that remains is honest prayer and quiet trust. That is not weakness. It is readiness. In those moments, when we stop pretending, we are fine and finally admit that we are not, God begins to rebuild us from the inside out. What once looked like failure becomes formation. What once felt like punishment becomes preparation. What once seemed like an ending becomes a beginning.
Many people live their lives looking backward, convinced that their best days are behind them. They talk about what used to be and mourn what has been lost, assuming that nothing meaningful remains ahead. But when God is involved, the best chapter is rarely in the past. It is still coming. Your story may include addiction, divorce, financial collapse, depression, mistakes, and regret, but it can also include freedom, healing, wisdom, compassion, and renewed purpose. Not because you suddenly became perfect, but because God remains faithful. The “but God” chapter is where grace becomes visible, where mercy rewrites shame, and where restoration outshines regret.
The Chapter You’ll Be Thankful For
If you are walking through a difficult season right now, this truth matters deeply. If you are tired, discouraged, questioning, or waiting, you need to know that this is not the final chapter. Your story is still being written. God is still working, even when you cannot see it. Sometimes the “but God” moment comes quickly. Sometimes it takes years. But it always comes in His time. And when it does, you will eventually realize that what felt like abandonment was actually alignment, what felt like delay was development, and what felt like loss was preparation.
One day, you will tell your story. You will talk about the season when you did not know how you would make it, when you almost gave up, and when you questioned everything. And then you will smile and say, “But God showed up. But God provided. But God healed. But God restored. But God redeemed.” That part of your story—the part where hope returned, strength grew, and purpose emerged—will become your favorite chapter, not because it was easy, but because it revealed who God truly is.
Every story of faith contains a “but God” moment. Every testimony has a turning point. Every life surrendered to grace carries a redemption chapter. So if you are in the middle of struggle, do not close the book. Keep turning the pages. When God is the Author, the best chapter is never the one where everything fell apart. It is the one that begins with two life-changing words: But God.
Patrick Carden
