Dear Dr. B,
I have been told that “God promised He will never let us face more than we can bear.” In fact, it has been said that “We all go through difficult times…but God would not have allowed it if you couldn’t handle it.” I’ve been going through some pretty difficult stuff lately, and I’m just not sure I can handle it. Will God give us too much to handle?
Sincerely,
Weak and Concerned
Dear Concerned,
I can empathize with your concern. I’ve been through times like that myself when I just wasn’t sure I could handle it. And in truth, in my own strength I couldn’t.
I do not judge, but I respectfully disagree with those well-intentioned people who like to say God won’t give us more than we can handle. Or that nothing that comes our way in life is too much for you. This isn’t Biblical.
The Lord frequently allows us to go through seasons that are much more than we can handle in our own strength. It is then that we are often most willing to turn to Him and rely on His strength.
The Bible doesn’t say God will not give us more than we can bear
Many will quote the passage in 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
This scripture refers to the idea of us being TEMPTED without a way to overcome it. But our way to overcome it is never in ourselves, but always by relying on His word (just as Jesus did in the desert), His truth, and His strength.
God wants us to wholly depend on Him
That verse is often taken out of context—it refers to temptation. It does not refer to life’s trials and difficulties. God most certainly will allow us to go through situations that in and of ourselves, we are powerless to do anything about BECAUSE He wants us wholly dependent on Him.
In our own strength, we are powerless
Consider the verse, “I can do all things THROUGH HIM who strengthens me…” We are powerless but He gives us His strength and the ability to make it through. Our trust must be in Him and His help and His hope, rather than in our own ability to handle any situation.
Because of Him, #HopePrevails!
With Hope,
DrB
Thank you for this Michelle. Those kinds of comments have always frustrated me. I appreciate your biblical response.
I’m glad it resonated with you Merri. It always comes back to Him and His word. It has the final authority. Because of Him, Hope Prevails.
I love your response….”God allows us to go through trials too hard for us, so we will fully depend on him”
Thanks for the encouragement. It always comes back to Him, Because of Him, #HopePrevails!
Hi Dr. B. – so glad to see you this week. Needed this post today. Thank you for the reminder that I don’t have to be strong enough, because God is enough.
Tamera, so glad we’ve had such divine encounters! Thanks for your sweet encouragement. Glad this post met you were you are. You might also like this one: https://drmichellebengtson.com/dont-be-the-strong-one/
The Lord frequently allows us to go through seasons that are much more than we can handle in our own strength. It is then that we are often most willing to turn to Him and rely on His strength.
AMEN and Thank you, Michelle! Hugs…
You’re most welcome Sheila! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Blessings to you!
Thanks so much for your explanation of 1 Corinthians 10:31. I love how you highlight we can do all things through Christ. We can’t handle our trials on our own, but we can in Christ!
Oh yes, Joyful, He can do so much in us and through us if we will surrender to Him! Because of Him, #HopePrevails!
I have often dreaded that saying, too. When people say to me, “God only gives you what you can handle” it sometimes makes me cringe and think, “I wish he didn’t think so much of me!” My oldest daughter almost died in a car accident back in 1997. She was only four, and was left with a severe brain injury which gave her many disabilities. I was so, so heartbroken. And we did years and years of rehab with her, while also caring for our other children. And people would cheerfully say to me, “God only gives us what we can handle” and ugh, I hated hearing that. Right now, I am 30 weeks pregnant with my son Aaron, and at 16 weeks we found out he has a life-limiting condition. Our sweet boy who we already love so much will not be with us long. Maybe just a few days after birth. We are heartbroken. So is God again giving me what he thinks I can handle? I really don’t think it works this way. Instead, what I think is that we live in a world that is broken. It is flawed. The world didn’t start out that way, of course. God designed it to be perfect and free of pain and death. But then Eve bit the apple, and you know the rest of the story. Ever since then, we live in a broken world. And we are all broken in some ways. And bad things happen sometimes. And that’s just the way it is. And we endure these trials and think “it’s not fair” because we are seeing it through our own broken and flawed earthly vision. We don’t see it through God’s vision. He has a plan for us, for all of us. Perhaps we get these trials in this life to help us grow and become more Christ-like. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do? to grow in Christ and try to be like him? Not that we can ever be perfect, but we should all try to be Christ-like. Perhaps these trials we are given are our chance to rise up, to give Glory to Him even in our times of sorrow. This is the way I choose to see it. Even though I am heartbroken to know that I will eventually lose this sweet baby of mine, I am so very grateful for the time I have with him now, and I thank God for this experience, for this sweet boy, and just ask for strength, courage and peace, and to take away the fear when it engulfs me, as it sometimes does. Fear is the devil’s way to try to throw me into despair, to give up all hope and faith….while peace is from God. I have had much peace during these last few months. For that, I am very thankful.
((hugs)) 🙁
Katrina, my heart grieves for the pain and loss you’ve endured. If I could reach through the computer screen and take your hand, or give you a hug, or sit down to coffee with you, I would. You are so right…God didn’t do that to you. He didn’t give you what you could bear. He’s not trying to make a mockery out of you. We live in a fallen world. And the enemy comes at us from every side seeking to steal, kill and destroy. And instilling fear in our hearts is his way of throwing us into despair. Yet as long as God is on His throne, He offers HOPE. I’m so glad God has allowed you to keep your peace. I KNOW these are difficult times. I’m praying you feel HIS comfort more now than ever. Because of Him, #HopePrevails! Feel a hug!
I’ve had some incredibly hard times in my life, and I’ve discovered the truth of what you write. I haven’t ‘handled’ it on my own at all–rather, God wraps his arms of grace around me and when I look back on those times, I know that his love and grace held me together–there is NO WAY I could have made it through on my own!
So often we try to handle it on our own, when all along, He desires for us to surrender to Him and let Him be our strength. His love and grace get us through! Because of Him, #HopePrevails!
Yay– oh YAY! SOOooo happy see this addressed! This past year– summer especially– has been particularly *overwhelming*, and I recently wrote four pages in righteous indignation about how this is simply NOT TRUE! Corinthians is speaking of TEMPTATION, not painful/overwhelming circumstances, as you said! UGH! THANK YOU! 😀 The way that verse is so often taken out of context is one of my “Scriptural Pet Peeves”! 😉
Katie, glad to see a supporter here 😉 God is good. We have to remember that. He longs to help us, to guide us, to support us…right down to giving us a way out of temptation, and giving us strength in the painful circumstances. Because of Him, #HopePrevails!
Amen! Dr. Michelle! You did a fantastic job of addressing this very difficult topic and the words people often say to try and bring some sort of comfort – when in reality, it doesn’t do that. I love how you ended with this: We are powerless but He gives us His strength and the ability to make it through. Amen & Amen! Your Neighbor today at #RaRaLinkup
Debbie, if we will just accept that we are powerless and realize that He longs to be our strength, we give Him freedom to do what He does best, and step in to make something beautiful of our mess. Because of Him, Hope Prevails!
so many things make so little sense on this earth. the only thing that we can hold onto is knowing that it is temporary and that there is the sure promise of Romans 8:18- Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
And what a beautiful reminder that is Karen! When we get weighted down in the daily struggle, doesn’t it help to know that our sufferings can’t even compare to the glory that will be revealed in us? What a joy-filled thought! Thanks for visiting. Because of Him, #HopePrevails!
Giving us much more that we can handle, is indeed a way to shape us and get us to turn to Him. Comforting words this morning. Thank you.
Found you at Holley’s & glad to visit.
Blessings,
So glad you visited! It really always comes back to Him. It’s all about Him. If we can just keep our perspective on Him, everything else falls into place. because of Him, #HopePrevails!
You’ve done a great job of explaining what this scripture is truly about. And I so agree with you – God does allow things to happen that are beyond our capabilities to handle because He wants us to realize that life WITH Him and IN Him and THROUGH Him is the way to abundance.
Always a delight to see you visit the blog Jennifer! Isn’t God amazing? I love that He is ok with our weaknesses and promises to be our strength. Oh if I would just surrender quickly!! Because of Him, #HopePrevails!
Thank you for sharing with us at #JoyHopeLive!
Always a pleasure! Blessings!
Thank you for explaining this so well. I am in full agreement with you and even weave this truth into my messages when I speak. If God won’t give me more than I can handle, why would I need Him? I have more than I can handle every day! So glad I can depend on God for my strength!
I applaud this message as I agree with your words that temptation and trials are quite different events. I have found that I need to have some “space” from my hubby who is controlling and somewhat self-centered. At first he was not in agreement, but now seems ready for me to leave although has so many questions and is quite curious. Thank you for giving me encouragement to hope in God’s provision and give me a shelter during this storm in my marriage.
So good! Thank you for clearing up what the Bible truly says about the trials we go through. Yes, He is our strength and will help us through any situation that seems to us overwhelming. We can’t do it by ourselves. I love to depend on the Lord because He is always there. He is our sufficiency!! Glory to God. I have testimony after testimony of how He has helped me through the most difficult times because I chose to depend on Him and not on myself. Blessings on you, dear Michelle, for answering people’s questions with honesty, integrity and truth.
I currently feel like God gave me too much to handle yet I know he is with me in the midst of it all. Thank you for this wonderful encouragement.