Lilypie Fifth Birthday tickers

Sunday, November 22, 2009

More Than I Can Bear

I must admit that albeit well-meaning super-christian people whose answer to every problem is some obscure scripture--those people--you know a few don't you?--they get on my nerves. I appreciate their zeal and heart for God. I believe their heart is even in the right place in most cases. HOWEVER, I find that type of 'ministering' to people to be cold and empty. I don't believe Jesus would say some trite phrase to a person in trouble and just leave them there.

One of these trite phrases--that is not scripture or in my opinion scriptural--that I have been getting a lot lately is the following:
God will not give you more than you can handle. SO given all that you've got going on, God must really trust you/have faith in you/ think a lot of you.
Ok. I happen to believe that God is not a respecter of persons, so I don't buy all that junk simply as a result of that belief. But, it still frustrates me when people say that. Not helping people!! Not helping!

A friend of mine (and Brandon's) named Emily pointed us to another blog with a post about this very subject. It was helpful to me, and I hope it will be helpful to you too. Thanks Emily!

This is from Ron Edminison's Blog.

God WILL Allow More Than You Can Bear (Alone)
15
Mar
2009
Filed under: Christians, Devotional, Encouragement, God

Author: Ron

I occasionally like to correct a myth I have heard all my life. How many times has someone said to you, “God will never put more trials on you than you can bear”? I challenge you to show me that in the Bible. The problem I have with this myth is that it keeps so many believers wondering why they can’t handle their problems, falsely believing they should be able to, because someone once told them the lie that God would not put more on them than they could.

Yes, we do have the promise that we will not be “tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13), but you need to understand what that verse is saying. It says that God will not allow Satan to bring temptation, or enticement to sin, into your life that is too much for you to say no to it. When you are tempted to sin, God will make a way for you to resist it. That is because He wants you to live holy, just as Christ who calls you is holy.

Consistently, throughout the Bible, I read where at times God allowed more trials, more pressure, than His children could bear. Elijah, the powerful prophet of God who held back the rain had a time when the trial must have been bigger than his ability to handle it. Consider this verse: “The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” (1 Kings 19:7) Once when Paul wrote to the people at Corinth (2 Corinthians 1:8), he told them they faced trials “far beyond our ability to endure”. David, the great war hero and man after God’s own heart, told the Lord that “troubles without number surround me” and “and I cannot see”. He couldn’t see clearly, because he was overwhelmed with the storms of life! Another time David said “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.”( Oh how I identify with David there!) Jehoshaphat prayed, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12) It sounds like he was facing more than he could handle on his own.

Are there times when God allows more troubles in your life than you can bear? Absolutely! Positively! If you can accept my testimony as an example, let me tell you that sometimes life throws more at me than I can handle, at least more than I can handle alone. The reason God allows you and I to experience times when we are consumed by trials, when they are bigger than our own strength can handle, is so that we have no where else to turn, except towards Him. We are faced with one solution, and that we realize Christ is our only hope!

After Paul wrote that his trial was bigger than his ability to endure, he offers an explanation. “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9) He recognized that this overwhelming time of trouble, that he couldn’t handle alone, had caused him to focus more on the power of God, and allow God to work His perfect will.

Are you being challenged beyond your ability to endure? Don’t believe that you can do it alone! You can’t! Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing!” Did you get that point? Nothing! Don’t try anything today without relying on the power of God! He knows your weak, but He is available to help, if you will call upon Him! When we are at our weakest, He is strong!

5 comments:

the Mayes family said...

My sentiments exactly. I hope you didn't take from my comments that I was saying, "Oh, you have a lot going on because God knows you're a rock star! You can do it!" Not how I meant it. I DID mean that one day, either here on earth or when you meet Him, you will understand why.

Sunny said...

HAHAHA! NO. your was super encouraging. totally different. :)

Mommy to those Special Ks said...

I've always hated that statement too... "God will never give you more than you can handle". I say that He will never give us more than HE can handle which MAKES us depend on HIM which is what we're supposed to be doing anyway... not relying on ourselves, but on Him. Anyway, Ron has a lot of great stuff on his blog! :)

All About the Bailey's said...

great post Sunny...thank you!

Tracey said...

Great post! You do hear that phrase a lot and what you said makes sense-He wants us to rely fully on Him so he brings us to our knees with life's tough circumstances. I can't say I like it much but I am learning a lot! May you find that God is all you need and all He says He is!