October 25, 2023 – Devotions – Does the Bible Say…?

Does the Bible Say “G-d Will Not Give Me More Than I Can Handle?”

“We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 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. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.” 1 Corinthians 10:9-13

Too often this text has been translated or thrown out to people who are suffering in either body, mind or spirit to suggest that the bible says “G-d will not give you more than you can handle.” In fact I have referenced it in a few, exceptional situations in my ministry. In my life, I have found that I had been given plenty that, at the moment I was in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death, I believed that it was too much to handle. People use this idea (G-d does not give us more than we can handle) as some pop-cultural saying to help us believe that either

A.) G-d is not at the source of our calamity, or

B.) that we have a deeper well of reserves we can dip into because “we have it in us to handle all situations”.

It is my belief that a saying like “G-d does not give us more than we can handle” can be a form of cheap Grace. In other words, if we just believe, if we have a deep enough faith, then we will easily be able to handle the loss, calamity, cancer, or depression because obviously G-d knows we can handle all of those.

My friends, Grace is costly. Grace was won for us through the suffering and death of Jesus. Even Jesus doubted, if just for a microsecond, that he could handle what his Father was giving him when he prayed in the Garden. It is not G-d acting as the Divine “bug-zapper” meting out punishment and calamity with the merriment and glee of Job’s protagonist. (read Job 1:6-21) It is life that gives plenty of people more than they can handle. Through our decisions, through our actions, and just through random acts and situations well out of our control, we are given terrible situations – and sometimes they drive us to our destruction. That is why our hope comes through the Grace of G-d won for us through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even Job gives reference to the Grace of the coming Messiah:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God….” (Job 19:25-27a)

G-d will give us a lot to handle in our lives – and the more we have to handle, the more G-d loves us.

Pastor Dave