But You, Lord

“The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me... BUT YOU, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.” (Jonah 2:6, emphasis mine)

For the child of God, is there a more powerful, more hopeful two-word ensemble in all the English language than But You?

This dynamic duo is the TRUE REALITY that firms our footing when we find ourselves being tossed to and fro in a false reality that threatens to batter and break us, so all seems lost.

But You is THE TRUTH we tightly cling to amid great tempests and trials, when we’re sinking... drowning... with no visible rescue in sight.

There is this! Oh Lord, there is that!

BUT YOU.

But You is the strong arm of deliverance we wildly grip when the floodwaters are menacing, and the waves are engulfing, and the currents are swirling and pulling. When ocean’s abyss is taking us down and Death's dark realm is calling our name, mocking our existence, and declaring our shame.

But You is our humble child's cry—defeated, distressed, and desperate—an exhausted, though enlightened, soul, in grave need of a Savior's deliverance.

It’s the welcoming shore our merciful Father—the Great Rescuer-Redeemer—pulls us to. It's the stable, safe ground He so lovingly lays us upon.

Sand of Salvation,

Place of Peace,

Realm of Rest.

But You, without a doubt, is the TRIUMPHANT TRUTH—all-powerful and unstoppable—that snatches us from the pit's darkness and depth and redeems what the ocean's force meant to drown in us.

But you, Lord my God...

always and forever.

"In my distress, I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help, and you listened to my cry.

You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.

I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’

The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.

To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.

But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.

When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.

Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will make good.

I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”

Jonah 2:1-9