Does God Give You More Than You Can Handle?
Has anyone told you that God won’t give you more than you can handle?
I’ve heard it plenty! And there was a time when I believed that nonsense.
Then I buried 2 husbands and my mama in four years. God definitely allowed more than I could handle!
I’m sure you can relate! Haven’t there been seasons when the kids were little and you got no sleep and thought you were losing your mind? When someone you loved was addicted or abusive and you feared for your sanity and safety? Hasn’t there been a time of lack, sickness, or upheaval in your life that you thought would crush you?
Of course there has. That’s when God does his best work. It is in the times of upheaval that we run to him for the healing, rescue, answers, resolution or miracle that is way beyond our own control or ability.
If we could manage to manage everything in our lives on our own, why in the world would we need God?
There’s a verse in the Bible that says, No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NRSV)
God is faithful and will not let you be tested beyond your strength sounds a lot like God won’t give you more than you can handle. But you have to understand the context of the passage. Paul is not addressing tragic circumstances like death, disease and imminent peril. He’s telling them it’s possible to rule over the temptation of their former sinful and destructive practices like sexual orgies and gluttony.
I don’t want you to be fooled by those who would ask you to endure your hardships on your own – or all alone.
Before I had my come to Jesus moment, I tried to manage life on my own and failed miserably. I let my circumstances dictate my emotional state. If “things” weren’t going well, I wasn’t well. I puddled up, had meltdowns and threw temper tantrums rivaling Rumpelstiltskin! That’s no way to manage anything!
Or, I’d disengage and sink into a puddle of discouragement, believing that all was lost so I might as well eat, drink and be merry on my way to die.
Don’t fall for the lie that God won’t give you more than you can handle. While no one would ask for the loss, sickness or hardships that drive us to beg God for help, those are the seasons of greatest intimacy with God. It’s the times of desperate crying out to Him that we tend to be most in-tune with his voice and open to his leading.
Call on God!
When you are out of your mind, or over your head, or under attack, don’t try to manage it on your own. Call on God, who is for you and will be with you through it all. He will give you the strength you need to press on. He will provide the support you need to persevere. He will lead you to the solutions you need to survive.
When life reels out of control, don’t try to brave it alone. Run to God.
Verse for today: God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Ps. 46: 1-3 NIV
Prayer: Father God, be our strength and shield and our ever present help in times of trouble. When life and circumstances are out of our control, be our guide through them or around them. Be with us. In Jesus Name amen.