Reflecting on God’s Provision
Today is a day where I am going against what SEO would tell me by making my title too short. It’s because, in my other blog From 2005 to Eternity, I was reflecting on life with God. Here on Be The Dads, however, I was thinking back to 2024—how bad things could have been but how God wouldn’t let that happen. I lost my job, but God provided. I was unemployed for over 36 weeks, uncertain of what was next. But in His perfect plan and timing, the counting stopped at 36.
God’s Faithfulness in a Slump
I felt like I was in a slump because the only emails I was receiving were automated responses: “Thank you for your interest…” But God provided me with my first rejection letter. As strange as it sounds, I was so happy to know there was someone on the other side of the system and process.
I began to feel down again due to the lack of human interaction. But God then provided me with words of encouragement from friends on LinkedIn. As I continued applying, I felt isolated once again, but God opened the door for me to speak with a recruiter about two opportunities at GoDaddy.
A “But God” Moment in Ministry
During this time, I felt alone, but God opened the door for me to minister into the lives of dads who were struggling, facing challenges, and even dealing with life-and-death situations.
I slipped into another slump as responses dwindled, but God, on the morning I was praying about my feelings, provided me with an email from a recruiter for a job I never even applied to. He had sent it before I prayed, showing how much He cares and knows us better than we know ourselves.
Divine Connections
It happened again: But God used my routine of wishing people Happy Birthday, Happy Workaversary, and Congratulations to connect me and open the door to what He had prepared in advance. The good works He has for me to accomplish, I am now living out today.
Let’s consider what God’s Word has to say about this.
God’s Word on “But God” Moments:
The phrase “But God” appears throughout Scripture in pivotal moments when human effort, struggle, or despair would have led to one outcome—but God intervened to bring His perfect will to pass. Your testimony reflects this divine pattern, showing how God’s faithfulness carried you through the uncertainties of 2024 into a season of blessing, provision, and purpose.
Let’s explore biblical examples where “But God” changed everything for His people.
1. Joseph: But God Meant It for Good
📖 Genesis 50:20 – “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
🔹 Key Takeaways:
- Joseph was betrayed, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned, but God used all of it to position him as second-in-command over Egypt to save many lives.
- What seemed like defeat and rejection was actually God’s divine redirection.
✅ Application:
- Just like your job loss, rejection emails, and seasons of waiting, God was orchestrating a greater plan beyond what you could see.
- Instead of seeing obstacles as failures, trust that God is using them for your good (Romans 8:28).
2. Noah: But God Remembered Him
📖 Genesis 8:1 – “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.”
🔹 Key Takeaways:
- Noah endured 40 days of flooding and months of waiting for dry land, but God did not forget him.
- God’s faithfulness preserved Noah and his family through the storm, providing a new beginning.
✅ Application:
- Your 36 weeks of waiting were not wasted—God was working in the background, preparing a place for you.
- Even when it felt like no one saw your struggle, God never forgot you (Isaiah 49:15-16).
3. David: But God Delivered Him
📖 1 Samuel 23:14 – “And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.”
🔹 Key Takeaways:
- King Saul relentlessly pursued David to kill him, but God protected David until the right time for him to reign.
- David endured years of hiding, uncertainty, and fear, but he learned to trust God’s timing.
✅ Application:
- Like David, you faced uncertainty and waiting before stepping into your new job.
- God’s delays are not denials—He is working out His plan to establish you in the right place (Psalm 37:23).
4. The Psalmist: But God Is My Strength
📖 Psalm 73:26 – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
🔹 Key Takeaways:
- The psalmist admitted feeling weak and discouraged, but God was his source of strength.
- Human emotions fluctuate, but God’s faithfulness remains constant.
✅ Application:
- When you felt slumps of discouragement, God strengthened you through encouragement from friends and divine connections.
- Daily, lean on His strength, not your own (Isaiah 40:31).
5. Paul: But God Made Us Alive
📖 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.”
🔹 Key Takeaways:
- We were spiritually dead and powerless, but God, out of His mercy and love, brought us new life in Christ.
- God’s intervention completely changes our direction and destiny.
✅ Application:
- Every closed door and missed opportunity led to something greater—God’s plan for you to be in the right place at the right time.
- Your “But God” moments testify of His grace, just as salvation transforms us into new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Your “But God” Testimony
Just like Joseph, Noah, David, the psalmist, and Paul, you have lived through a “But God” season.
- You lost a job, but God provided.
- You faced rejection, but God opened the right doors.
- You felt discouraged, but God surrounded you with encouragement.
- You waited in uncertainty, but God already had a plan prepared.
Your story is proof that God’s faithfulness never fails! 🎉
💡 Final Encouragement
Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
🙌 Keep walking in faith—every “But God” moment in your life points to His glory!
Reflecting on Your Own Journey
Where are you at today? Are you feeling at wits end? Is there a challenge or a struggle in your marriage? Are you having problems connecting with your kids? Is there something in this world that is keeping you from walking in the joy of the Lord that is meant to be your strength because of a setback or a let down?
A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback
We need to remember what Willie Jolley says in his messages and books “A Setback is a setup for a Comeback.” Don’t lose hope because things are rough. Never give up because you can’t see it yet.
God is Working in Advance
Cling to the reality that God’s working in advance the good works He has for you to accomplish. Lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight and show you which way to go.
Are You Ready for Your “But God” Moment?
Are you ready for your own “but God” moment? Would you be willing like I was to take your need, your problem, your feelings, your thoughts, and anything else to God? I know from personal experience He can take it.
Are You Ready for Your “But God” Moment?
His Word tells us to cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us. Are you ready to let go and let God? Ready to put God first, seeking first His Kingdom, His righteousness, and in all your ways acknowledge Him?
God’s Provision: A Testimony of His Faithfulness
Are you ready to let God lift you up and help you through the journey so that in the end it will be for your good and His glory? If you check out https://from2005toeternity.wordpress.com you will get to see 36 weeks, which means unemployment benefits had expired, and I am here to report coming out the other side God provided not only for me but also for my wife and my kids in the midst of everything, with others showing such care and generosity that it blew our minds.
Looking for more proof of what God has to say? Check this out:
The world has its ways and its news but God’s given us His ways, His Word, and His News:
1. Victory Through Christ
📖 Revelation 12:11 – “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”
🔹 Key Takeaway:
- Our testimony carries power when combined with Christ’s finished work on the cross.
- Dads can overcome discouragement, fear, and failure by remembering what Christ has done and boldly declaring their faith stories.
✅ Application:
- Encourage dads to share their testimonies, no matter how small, because it strengthens their faith and others who hear it.
- Remind them that their struggles are part of their story, but God is the author, and victory is already won!
2. Cast Your Cares on Him
📖 1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.”
🔹 Key Takeaway:
- God invites us to give Him our burdens—He is not distant but deeply cares for every concern.
- No matter what’s weighing a dad down—finances, parenting stress, or uncertainty—God can handle it.
✅ Application:
- Challenge dads to release their burdens to God in prayer, trusting that He is faithful to sustain them (Psalm 55:22).
- Offer a prayer request opportunity, so they don’t carry their struggles alone.
3. Trust in God’s Direction
📖 Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
🔹 Key Takeaway:
- Human logic often cannot grasp God’s bigger plan, but trusting Him brings clarity and direction.
- When things don’t make sense, God is still leading the way.
✅ Application:
- Encourage dads to pray over decisions and wait on God’s leading in their marriages, parenting, and careers.
- Share how your own journey of waiting 36 weeks was a testament to God’s perfect timing!
4. God’s Plans Are Good
📖 Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
🔹 Key Takeaway:
- God’s plans are never to harm us but to prosper us—even when the process feels painful.
- Setbacks are not dead ends; they are part of the greater purpose.
✅ Application:
- Remind dads that their current struggles are not the end—God’s plan extends beyond what they see.
- Encourage them to hold onto hope, knowing that restoration, provision, and blessing will come.
5. Seek First the Kingdom
📖 Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
🔹 Key Takeaway:
- Prioritizing God over everything else leads to divine provision.
- Worrying about finances, jobs, or the future does nothing—trusting God does everything.
✅ Application:
- Encourage dads to make time for God daily—prayer, reading Scripture, leading their family in faith.
- Assure them that when they align with God’s priorities, He will take care of the rest!
6. God’s Strength in Weakness
📖 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
🔹 Key Takeaway:
- Weakness is not failure—it is where God’s strength shines the brightest.
- Dads struggling with insecurities, doubts, or feeling like they’re not enough need to know that God’s grace sustains them.
✅ Application:
- Encourage dads to embrace their weaknesses and invite God’s strength into their daily lives.
- Remind them that God is using their struggles to mold them into stronger leaders, husbands, and fathers.
7. Hope in the Lord’s Strength
📖 Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
🔹 Key Takeaway:
- Waiting on God is not wasted time—it is renewal time.
- God’s strength replaces exhaustion, making them unstoppable in their calling as fathers.
✅ Application:
- Remind dads that even when they feel tired or discouraged, God is actively renewing them.
- Encourage them to keep pressing forward, knowing that they will rise stronger, wiser, and better equipped.
8. God’s Good Works Are Already Prepared
📖 Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
🔹 Key Takeaway:
- Every dad is uniquely designed by God for specific good works.
- Nothing they go through is random—God has pre-planned their path.
✅ Application:
- Remind them that God already has a purpose for their struggles and is preparing them for greater impact.
- Encourage them to walk in obedience, knowing that their “But God” moment is coming!
Final Call to Prayer & Encouragement
To every dad reading this, you are not alone. Whatever battle you’re facing in your marriage, your home, your job, or your heart—God is working behind the scenes.
🙏 If you need prayer, reach out. You don’t have to carry your burdens alone.
Remember:
- You may feel at your wit’s end, but God is not done!
- You may not see the answer yet, but God is preparing it!
- You may feel weak, but God is making you stronger!
Hold onto faith, hope, and the certainty that God is with you! These Scriptures should help encourage dads to keep trusting in God, reminding them that their struggles do not define them—God’s faithfulness does! 🙌💪
