The Matthew 28:19 Project

There are some phrases that just stick with you, and for the past few weeks, the phrase “but God…” has been on my mind. Recently, I went to the Women of Joy conference in Myrtle Beach with about 28 of my friends from church. It was one of those weekends filled with laughter, tears, worship, Bible teaching, and sweet fellowship. During one of the sessions, a speaker talked about the moments in her life that made no sense on paper, situations she couldn’t explain, doors that opened unexpectedly, and ways God carried her through things she never should have survived. The only explanation she could give was simple: but God. The more she talked, the more I realized just how much we can all relate.

When I look back on my life, I see all those unexplainable moments that can only be explained as… but God. I think about the bad car wreck I was in nearly 30 years ago, and honestly, there’s no reason I should have survived it… but God. I think about my sister, serving overseas, when a bomb landed on the building where she was sleeping. For some reason, it didn’t explode… but God.

I think about some of the situations I got myself into when I was younger and the bad decisions I made. They should have ended very badly, but they didn’t… but God. I think about the time I drove across the bridge on Interstate 85 on my way home, and a few minutes later, someone shot a man who was also driving across the same bridge I had just crossed. But God. I think about another time when I left my house a little earlier than usual for my morning commute to work. I got stuck behind a school bus, then a dump truck, and later had to detour when the road was blocked because a tree had fallen on a car. I rarely leave my house early when I’m driving to work in the mornings… but God.

I think about my walk with Jesus and how many years I spent running in the opposite direction, yet I’m walking with him now. I even think about serving on the Audio/Visual team at church, even though I have absolutely no engineering or technical background whatsoever, and yet most of the time we have audio during the services. I don’t know how… but God. Somehow, He places us exactly where He wants us and equips us along the way. I’m serving in a church I love, surrounded by people I love, building friendships and connections I never saw coming. When I stop to think about it, I don’t know how I even got here… but God.

That same thought crosses my mind when I think about my little ministry, The Matthew 28:19 Project. Its sole purpose is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ online. I built a website, started writing blog posts, and began sharing devotionals. I still don’t know how I managed to create a website when I know next to nothing about coding, web design, or technology… but God. I’m amazed at some of the ideas that pop into my head, because most of the time I don’t even know where they came from. For instance, I was driving down the road after getting my car serviced when the idea of putting my pastor on TikTok suddenly popped into my head. Seriously. I do not know anything about TikTok, and I have never used it, but after stewing on it for a few days, I created an account and started posting videos of Pastor Buddy. No other explanation for where this idea came from… but God.

One of my favorite “but God” moments from Woman of Joy happened during the CAIN concert. I was standing in line at the product table and struck up a conversation with the woman in front of me. She was someone that I had never met before. We started talking about the t-shirt I was wearing. It was our group T-shirt that we had made for the trip, and she asked where I went to church. I told her Fellowship Baptist Church of Creedmoor, and before I could even explain where Creedmoor was, she said she was from Raleigh. Then I mentioned that I work for a law firm in downtown Raleigh, and y’all… she knew my firm because she had worked for another downtown firm. Seriously, what are the odds? But God.

Speaking of CAIN, they have a song called “Jesus Music” that I absolutely love. If you know me, then you know how much I love Southern Gospel concerts, and my coworkers tease me all the time about my “Jesus music,” so that song fits me perfectly. While I was browsing the merch table, I saw a hoodie that said “Thank God for Jesus Music” on the back. The problem is, this menopausal woman cannot handle hoodies anymore. I started looking around for a T-shirt version instead, and then out of nowhere, I spotted another shirt with the Great Commission on it. Y’all, my entire ministry is centered around Matthew 28:19 and the Great Commission. I had literally been thinking about creating my own shirt with Matthew 28:19 on it, and there it was sitting right in front of me. But God.

And if all of those “but God” moments weren’t enough, Pastor Buddy recently preached about Gideon and reminded us how impossible Gideon’s victory should have been. The odds were stacked completely against him. By every human standard, he should have been defeated. But he wasn’t. He walked in victory because God was with him. How is that possible? But God.

The older I get, the more I realize that much of life cannot be explained by coincidence, luck, talent, or even our own plans. There is no other explanation but God. Sometimes God quietly works behind the scenes in ways we don’t notice until much later. He opens doors we could never have opened ourselves. He protects us when we don’t even realize we need protection. He redirects us, restores us, and patiently leads us back when we wander. And when we finally stop and look back over the road we’ve traveled, we realize the unexplainable is explainable after all.

So now I have to ask…how many “but God” moments have you had in your own life lately?