I recently spent a few days at Bethel Church in Redding,
California. For those of you who may not be familiar with Bethel, they have a
reputation of hosting the presence of God and walking in the power of God. I
heard story after story of God breaking into the impossible and making it
possible. I was stirred by these stories. I began to long to have these types
of stories in my own life. And, don’t get me wrong, I do have testimonies of
God’s faithfulness and provision, but for me these have seemed to be the
exception rather than the rule. If we believe God is who He says He is, and
will do what He says He will do then doesn’t it stand to reason that every day
is a target for miraculous breakthrough, healing, and provision?
As I have processed this experience I began to notice a
thread of commonality that tied all of these stories together. It was profound
in its simplicity. The reason these pastors and leaders have so many God
stories isn’t because they are holy or elite, it’s because they have made space
for “but, God”.
Ephesians chapter 2 paints a picture of what our life was
like before Jesus. We were lost, broken, enemies of God, and obeying the devil.
We were powerless in and of ourselves to remedy this problem. Then, in one of
the most radical acts of love in the history of humanity- “but, God being rich
in mercy…” made us alive in Christ Jesus. We didn’t deserve it, and we
definitely didn’t earn it. God took something that was impossible and made it
possible. The facts were that we were enemies of God, the truth, however, was
that God had a plan. God had a plan- let that sink in a moment. Pause and
remember what you had to do to enact that plan in your life. All you did was
invite Him in, right? You made space for the invasion of God in your life.
Sadly, for most of the Western church that is where it stops. We get our golden
ticket and then, rather than living an abundant life of power and miracles we
settle for a passive morality.
Everyday we have the opportunity to live from facts or
truth. The facts may be that the balance in your checking account won’t cover
your bills for the month. The truth, however, is that God is your provider. The
facts may be that you just got diagnosed with a disease. The truth, however, is
that God is your healer. The facts may be that your business is on the verge of
collapse. The truth is that God is able. We have the choice to choose what to
partner with. Choosing truth isn’t denying the facts, it’s choosing a superior
reality. This is how we make space for “but, God”.
I’m convinced most Christians aren’t living a supernatural
life not because they don’t want it or are against it, but because they have
insulated themselves from it. The first thing we do when we have a pain is call
the doctor. When our finances are looking shaky we schedule an appointment with
our financial planner and figure out how to shift our investments around for maximum
return. Tings aren’t wrong or bad. It’s just that when those are our plan A, we
remove God from the equation. The
question then is, do you have space in your life for “but, God”?
