Book II
The collection of psalms in Book II express lament and distress about present circumstances and conditions while looking to the faithfulness of God.
There are two words here that hold the power of a spiritual warhead. They woo the sinner to repentance (Psalm 51:1–2) and wash the dirty clean (v.7). They quiet our most ferocious fears (Psalm 56:4), interrupt our narcissistic navel-gazing (vv.10–11), and set our feet on a sure path (v.13). They aim at our enemies and never miss their mark (Psalm 64:7). They bring evildoers to ruin (v.8) and lift our arms in heartfelt praise (v.10).
What phrase could possibly pack such a punch? But God.
Like a ship in a bottle, the psalmists capture the human experience with mind-boggling attention to detail, preserved for us to take off the shelf and inspect. Shame, guilt, repentance, wonder, worry, bargaining, anxiety, wrestling, resolve…it’s all right there, smack dab in the middle of our Bibles.
As David cries out, “let the bones you have crushed rejoice” (Psalm 51:8), and “my adversaries trample me all day,” (Psalm 56:2), and “Look, LORD, they set an ambush for me” (Psalm 59:3), we reflexively respond “Me too!” But through David, God gave us more than a treatise on human emotion. Gut-level honesty about human suffering isn’t the way to see our brokenness through the lens of His redemption. The great gift of the psalms is the pivot point. Though the writers of the Psalms often begin by naming their worries without a sugar coat, they don’t stay there. The psalms give us the rhythm of life we are called to march to as children of God. Yes, enemies surround us. It’s true; we are often sinking in the muck and mire of a broken world. Still, knowing God flips the script. “But God” beats louder and stronger than our daily aches and pains.
“But God” transforms David from whiner to worshiper.
“But God” is the hope that makes Scripture’s poems reach through the centuries and arrest our modern hearts.
“But God” is a shelter worth running into when the storm rages; a foundation we can build our entire lives upon.
Embedded in the cadence of these treasured poems, we find gospel hope. The book of Psalms tells a bigger story, our story. We “were dead in [our] trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). We “walked according to the ways of this world” (v.2), driven mad by the desires of our flesh (v.3). Our sinful nature sentenced us to God’s wrath (v.3). Like David, we were guilty, gutted, harassed, and helpless.
These are more than pretty poems. They do something greater than give voice to our pain. The psalms teach us how to pivot from our pain to God’s providence, from our fears to God’s faithfulness, from our sin to God’s gift of salvation, from our life right this moment to the life He has secured for us in heaven. Like David, you get to choose. Will you make the turn from human angst to God-directed adoration? Will you dwell on today’s challenges, or will you let these two words lift your eyes to a greater hope: but God.
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57 thoughts on "Seek God’s Deliverance"
Amén
But God
I needed this. I feel as if our world is at a pivotal turning point, and I sometimes cry out in anger that my children have to endure such a broken, lost world. BUT GOD. This message brings me hope. I feel we are in the midst of the greatest spiritual warfare…BUT GOD. He is so good. And He is greater than all of the chaos and brokenness of our fallen society❤️
Hello tto evvery body, it’s my first visiot oof thiks weblog;
this blog includes remarkabble and trully excellent stuvf esigned foor visitors.
But God! Amen
But God…
But. God! Amen and Amen!
Psalm 51….sooooo much of it is in the liturgy in my old Lutheran Church….good memories
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin! – Psalms 51:2
This was a beautiful devotional day! “But God!”
“I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings until danger passes “
Tina, I never hear the words “But God” that I don’t think of you and whisper a prayer.
Like so many here I thought of Tina as well! What a beautiful testament to the impact your comments have had on so many. Thankful for this group and these devotionals and most of all the readings and few minutes to read them. I need prayer for discernment on what to do regarding selling our old home. I feel led in one course of action that doesn’t really make sense but I still feel it is the right thing to do. Thank you
Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
for I take refuge in you.
I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings
until danger passes. – Psalms 57:1
How sweet Erin’s words are. And yes this is for our beloved Tina and all of us. BUT GOD has taught me alot. No one has ever introduced me to this packed concept but you, oh dear Tina. Thank you so so much.❤️
Thank you Erin for a great devotional! It is so inspiring that it doesn’t matter what life sends our way, we always have God with us and fighting for our good. I pray in the midst of any tragedy, I would remember this.
Loved, loved, LOVED this! Erin thank you for this beautiful devotional today. I’m not sure I can express how it touched me today. And Tina…how many years ago now did you teach me this? “But God”…I smiled & laughed & wept as I read through everything thing this morning.
Love & hugs to all y’all from a very grateful heart.
BUT GOD — is watching over me/us.
BUT GOD — is ALWAYS there for me/us.
BUT GOD — is who I/we can go to ANYTIME.
GOD is and ALWAYS has been my go to person.
Thank You Lord for always being there when I reach out to You. Amen.
Be blessed and know God and Christ ARE ALWAYS there for you.
TINA – I love you sister in Christ! “But God” it’s like you were talking today. You helped me more than you realize getting through my son’s death. I’m so grateful for you. Although I wish you wouldn’t have had to experience the same loss. Your words always fill me.
I’m asking for prayers today as we are traveling to Europe. I pray for safety. That God’s hand will be over us. That our friends will see my faith in God. Thank you She’s! I so appreciate you all!
I was listening to the new album of Rend Collective and their song Hallelujah Anyway fits so well with the psalms we’ve been reading this week.
Yeah I’ll find a way to thank You
Though bitterness is real and hard
‘Cause I’d rather take a chance on hope than fall apart
Even if my daylight never dawns
Even if my breakthrough never comes
Even if I’ll fight to bring You praise
Even if my dreams fall to the ground
Even if I’m lost, I know I’m found
Even if, my heart will somehow say
Hallelujah anyway!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d59lYKaqXSU
Wow Tina, I feel like Erin Davis has been reading your comments, lol! As so many have said I immediately thought of you and reading today’s devotional. You are the first person that shared those two words with me and boy do they come in handy! I hope you enjoy all the extra love coming your way today. It’s like a special gift from God for you that also is so beneficial to all of us!
Hugs from across the pond!
Wow Tina, I feel like Erin Davis has been reading your comments, lol! As so many have said I immediately thought of you and reading today’s devotional. You are the first person that shared those two words with me and boy do they come in handy! I hope you enjoy all the extra love coming your way today. It’s like a special gift from God for you that also is so beneficial to all of us!
Narcissistic Navel Gazing had me laughing out loud. Erin Davis gave us a Hope-filled, “no punches pulled” devotional this morning. I loved every wise word she wrote. I’m not sure she knew how much it would resonate with a community of “But God!”…Girl’s who have been testifying to each other that very message since I first started SRT. @Angie Miller. Thank you for the encapsulated list of themes in today’s reading. It will be going up on my mirror.
This is so good! But God!!! I keep reminding myself that. I Have been going through a season of heartbreak and what a great reminder this was for me. We have been trying to get pregnant for over a year now and I have had my heart broken month after month…. BUT GOD. May my brokenness turn to adoration. For He is sovereign!
Lanie!!! I just saw your comment from yesterday and I’m also an OT who works for Fox Rehab!! What a small world! I included my last name so please if you see this send me an email to my fox email and we can connect further :)
Lanie!! I just saw your comment from yesterday and I’m also an OT who works for Fox Rehab!! What a small world! Email me at [email protected] and we can connect further if you see this :)
Happy Friday from Michigan! Thankfully all my travels went smoothly yesterday, so thank you for your prayers! I’m excited for this weekend in the Midwest. I echo what others have said that I immediately thought of Tina when I read the “But God” in the devotion! @Tina, thank you for love, encouragement, wisdom, and hugs from across the pond to everyone in this community <3 I thought of you when I was in England! I loved the line in Erin's devotion "The psalms teach us to pivot from our pain to God's providence…" SO GOOD. I hope everyone has a blessed weekend!
@Sarah D it was good to see your comment the other day! Praying for you in your job and I'm so glad you found a good therapist :)
I love the lesson here, the psalms
I’m so thankful that God led me to this community of believers at SRT! Thank you Erin for your insightful devotional today. I love how you pointed out that the Psalms teach us how to pivot from our pain to God’s providence. But God! Lifting us up to a greater hope. I love this so much. I thought of you, Tina, right away when I read Erin’s words. You were the first one who taught me to turn to “But God.” And again Erin’s words that we get to choose! May I always learn to choose God and His redeeming love❤️
Oh my! Yes! But God! I never cease to think of our sweet Tina when I see those words. And Tina, your testimonies speak to me of my own heartaches and brokenness through the years. But God! Because of God I am a new person. And each day is a day or prayers. Each day is a day of praise. Each day is a day of exalting the Lord. Just as David did. Hugs to all and blessings for a praise-filled weekend. ❤️
I am ready to change my perspective and stop allowing the enemy to have a foothold in my life.
To walk before God in the light of life (Psalm 56:13) is a struggle to complete what he has set before me.
But the salvation that comes from Him for His created masterpieces (Ephesians 2:10) also opens the door for us to do His will and walk in His ways.
I’ve been drawn to memorize Psalm 56:13 and Ephesians 2:10 for more than a few years and this year, I’ve been reflecting on the parallels between them. Both outline God’s salvation and a specific and pure walk in His ways. I love how these two verses are distinct, however I can see them similarly enough to set them together.
I am grateful for God’s salvation, what He has done. Yet there is a daily resistance in my walk. Lord, help me walk.
Bitterness held in the heart grows deep roots, but nothing good blooms. How beautiful are the treasured seeds of forgiveness, sown with humble hands. Because His most humble hands sowed seeds of forgiveness in me. I see a lush garden covering the once barren ground. Deeper roots that draw from the living waters of God growing grace, love, and abundant compassion (Psalm 51:1). His love is stronger than anything we face. Whether it be sickness or stress or a human enemy, we can call on God for protection and deliverance. “When I am afraid, I will trust in You, in God whose word I praise” (Psalm 56:3-4). If called to forgive, we can with Him. If called to repent, we can with Him. When called to face hard things, we can with Him. “My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident. I sing, I will sing praises” (Psalm 57:7). Our souls were made to soar with God. When hard things seem to shut me in, I look up to see the face of Jesus. And I remember His sacrifice set me free. I have enough light and room to love and live in the place I am now. And I hold the hope of eternal soaring with Him as He meets me in my earthly trials here. In trials, I praise Him. In joy, I praise Him. He is amazing and worthy. The seeds He has sown are still growing in me, so I will keep sowing good seeds too. Selah. Maranatha. Amen.
I turn to God and pray to be cleansed of this broken world!
“But God”, may this be my anthem, answer, response and reply to any and all adversity, pain or trouble in my life! “But God!” Thank you!
But God! AMEN!
TINA – Sister, I NEVER read or hear “But God” without thinking of you, your testimonies and words of encouragement. Love you!
This has really nothing to do with today’s study but it has been on my mind this morning. In a dream last night, the details of which are long gone, someone was either trying to convince me to do something or to believe something. I looked at the person and said, You are a known liar!
Right and wrong seemed so clear. Praying for discernment as I encounter people and situations, to recognize evil even when it’s all dressed up and barely recognizable, to turn away from it and cling to God and Truth.
Good morning sweet sisters! Thank you so much for your prayers and comments yesterday. Emotionally it was a very difficult day. But God! Kept bombarding me with FB & Instagram comments, quotes, verses that though not directed to me personally by the person, were by our Lord. “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with ten thousand besides”.
We are to seek God’s deliverance
-When we sin. He restores. (PS 51)
-In fearful situations. He is trustworthy. (PS 56)
-In dangerous situations. He is our refuge. (PS 57)
-In troubling times. He is our stronghold. (PS 59)
-From evildoers. He fights for us. (PS 64)
I love the parallelism in Psalm 56:3-4, 10-11.
3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
4 In God, Whose word I praise,
In God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
10 In God, Whose word I praise,
In the LORD, Whose word I praise,
In God I trust; I will not be afraid,
What can mere humans do to me?
I show my trust in God by praising Him at all times, even in dangerous & frightening situations.
And oh! the beautiful, beautiful truth of Psalm 56:9 — “This I know: God is for me.”
With the repetition of David’s cries for protection and his repetition of just how evil these men were and what they wanted to do to him, that one truth gleams like a light in a dark place—This I know: God is for me.
No matter how badly I sin. God is for me.
No matter the danger. God is for me.
No matter who is out to destroy me: friend, king, or enemy. God is for me.
Which reminds me …
“If God is for us, then who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? … Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (RO 8:31b-32, 35, 37-39 ESV)
But God – even amidst the constant returning of trouble and anguish and sorrow He is there. And he ALWAYS promises joy, redemption, wisdom, grace, fulfillment. As long as we remember and we continue to seek His presence.
But God!! Amen !!!
Great words to remember in a frisis
@nancysingleton I too had to check if Tina wrote today’s devotional.
The But God is where we find joy. Our circumstances can be hard, overwhelming, distressing But God is good all the time even in those moments, so I seek and choose Joy.
So so good!
Amen!
But God!! Thank you!
Amen & amen. So grateful for God’s word. Grateful for this community.
❤️
I had to look back to see the author of this devotional, as I thought it must be you, Tina!! Such beautiful truth. Thank you, Erin
Did anyone get transported back to Exodus when reading the first Psalm?
The books and authors are different but we spiral on the same exoeriences…
AMEN!
Ps. 56:9b “This I know: God is for me.”
Ps. 57:2 “I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.”
LORD, help me to remember these truths when things do not seem to be going to my plans. Increase my trust in Your goodness.
Amen and Amen
But God
ERIN DAVIES, thank you! I read this devotion over and over again, lingering over phrases and re reading the scriptures- beautiful ❤️ And I thought of you, Tina, such a blessing to see your comments as well ❤️ What has stuck with me is…
“”But God” is the hope that makes Scripture’s poems reach through the centuries and arrest our modern hearts”
Oh, so it does! Have a blessed day everyone xx
Amen.
ERIN DAVIES, sister, I loved this. I love you!
‘Tis true.. those two words have been my anthem for a while now..
No matter the strife, the heartache, the challenge, the brokenness, the hurt, the pain, the misunderstanding, the ungratefulness of my heart, my whining.. God’s grace, God’s hand, God’s heart, God’s goodness was and is with me. He follows/followed me all the way through my mistakes, ready to scoop me up before I fell, or, to be honest, when I fell totally flat on my face. He totally scooped me up, this broken human, and put me together in a new way, not always (thankfully) as I used to be or was.
BUT GOD..
He re’built’ me
Rewired.
Renewed.
Restored.
Redeemed.
I love you Lord, oh your mercies NEVER EVER fail me.. all praise and glory to you my God..
Thank you Lord God, Thank you..❤
AMEN.
AMEN.
AMEN.
His grace, His love, His goodness brought me here to this place SRT, all those years ago.. so very thankful and grateful to be here with you each morning to read His Word, share and grow in Him.
Sisters you are an absolute blessing.. thank you, wrapped in love and hugs.. always..❤
BUT GOD..