God WILL Allow More Than You Can Bear (Alone)
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!
26 responses to "God WILL Allow More Than You Can Bear (Alone)"
Marvelous! It's great to find kindred spirits. I too am a Christian Myth Buster. This, along with, "We're not to question God", "Where two or three are gathered together he's in the midst" (out of context), "The more people you get praying, the more able you are to get God's attention"…… it amazes me how many ways we make the Word of God to no effect because of our traditions.
I like yours. I’ve written others on my devotional site. Another favorite is “God helps those who help themselves”. I may expand on one of these if you don’t mind. Thanks!
Years ago, in the midst of an unexplained illness, financial turmoil, and a horrible marriage, I collapsed onto my bed in tears, rather convinced that God was toying with me like a cat with a mouse, and said, “You’ve got me right where you want me, don’t You?” Then I buried my head cause I knew I’d overstepped my bounds with that question. Yet He answered me with gentleness, and I’ll never forget what He said: “Yes, I do have you right where I want you: hopelessly, helplessly needful of Me.”
That's a great place to be, isn't it? (Doesn't always seem that way at the time.)
Flipping through the channels here on the internet, so to speak, I came across this glorious, much needed blog. God is sending many different events and people, as well as places of knowledge across my path right now. Some may know, my husband and I had a very hard time economically, last year. (If this is witnessing, i guess that's what I'm doing, but I hope what I'm about to say will help others) Freakishly, my leader of a ladies comm. group came across an announcement that Angela Thomas was going to be very near us, in January. John made some extra money one week, and bless him, he said you need to go to that; and I did. My life, since the 16th has taken another blessed, remarkable turn. I found out, even though I thought I was giving it all over to our Father, I wasn't. I tried what Angela suggested, and I got on my knees with my hands stretched up to heaven, and poured my heart out to God. I gave everything I had from our piggy bank to a very worth cause at GCC 2 weeks ago. Since then, job offers are coming in; I helped out at the Dunn Center with my 4 year old grand-son, who greatly impressed several students by the way; and Angela said if you're living on man-made resolutions to take care of mental short-comings (not in those exact words), you might want to think about giving it to God and let him help you out. As of Monday, I did that. I quit taking my man-made resolution, and I have 10000% faith that God is going to heal me. I've never felt like this before. It is not easy! AND IT IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY! But in my situation, God is healing the part of my brain that has the short-coming. But today, was extremely horrible for me and my Father sent people across my path to help me out and make suggestions. I am following the suggestion, and I have to tell you I'm at peace! I have to tell you, people, that if you are not giving it to our (yes our) Father, you're not going to make it coming out peaceful at the end. We can not! do this alone! GCC has helped me find that out! I have an intimate love with our Father and he is getting me through this. My dream desire of a mission I had given up on years ago, is now going to happen, because of some new missions that Grace will be encountering soon. Have you ever been so excited about something that you want to MAKE others get excited? That's the way I feel right now. I am so excited about my love for God, I want everyone out there to feel the same way. I had to fall on my face and body, before I realized I can't do it alone. And neither can you. Ron, God is greatly using you as one of the persons that will continue to cross my path with much needed, "next step lessons" I guess you could call it. I know you're up to the challenge. Thank you again, Ron
Was preparing a message one time a few yrs back when the Spirit spoke to my heart and said why would you preach that it’s not my word. so I corrected the church, and apologized for us preachers who sometimes get a little off. Seemed like some were really set free that day. Imagine that. The truth will set you free.
Junior, don’t you love how God continues to shape us over time?
Thanks for smackin’ that myth, Ron. I needed that. With much appreciation.
Kerry Bural
Thank you for your page. I have been having a very hard time with that scripture and feeling like a failure as a christian because I felt like I am not strong enough. I lost my sister to cancer and then my baby sister in a wreck and this June I lost my oldest child and everyone kept saying God would not put more on me than I could bear. Tonight I decided to start searching to see if it was scripture and I know that God led me to your page and it has helped to take away the guilt of feeling like a bad christian because I am having such a hard time dealing with the loss of my child.
Barbara, thank you for sharing your story. You certainly have been through a horrible time. Please know God loves you with an everlasting love. Bad things happen, often because we live in a very bad world. Praise God He is coming one day to redeem us from this brokenness. Praying for you.
Thank you for sharing this, I have always asked where that is in the bible. Now i know
Nice!!!
I don’t think it is bad theology, I recieved a lot from the post. I think that somewhere down the line a statement was made and people just ran with it.
If we think about it alot of things come up in our life that we can’t bear (alone). The death of my son was an instance, alone I felt like I would bust, I felt hopeless and lifeless holding my premature son no bigger than the palm of my hand, one great saint of God who I do respect but don’t agree with on wordage said you know all things work together for good.
I was like, FOR GOOD, how is this good, I am holding my lifeless son in my hands and you are saying somehow this will be good, (I wanted to punch them in the face) because I really couldn’t bear it.
But with the strength of Christ and I was able to cope. When we try to bear it we get compacted between all the mess I think that is why Christ said “come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest” “Cast all your care on me, because I care for you” “I also think, and hopefully it is not bad theology, but when he said “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” he was calling us not to deal with the weight and burden but he wanted to deal with it.
So in short we all have stuff on us that is more than WE can bear, but with the help and sustainable power of God we can make it because he will carry the baggage…Hopefully I have made some sense in my ramblings.
Thank you for shattering those Christian myths. I really do need Jesus to bear most of the garbage Satan throws my way. I simply can’t imagine my life without the guidance and power of Jesus.
What a wonderful post. Thank you.
Good word.
Ron,
Great thoughts, Bro, really strong!
dude. Yes!
THANKS RON, I NEVER THOUGHT OF IT THIS WAY BEFORE. BUT I AGREE- WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
Obviously not all agree with what I’m saying here. Some are stuck on the myth. One comment on Facebook called it “bad theology”. I just want someone to show me the Scripture that proves the myth.
Yes, I agree it can be said, “God will not put more on you that you can bear with Him”. That’s really the point. Christ wants our total and complete dependence on Him. For years I heard this taught and I was always left wondering, “well what’s wrong with me?” I thought it must be my faith was not strong enough or that I was doing something wrong. But, in fact, it really isn’t about me. To think that something inside of me could handle everything God allows to come in my life puts a lot of emphasis on me and my abilities. The focus should be on God and His strength. When I am weak, He is strong. (2 Cor 12:7-10). It is HIS grace that is sufficient, not my ability to stand up under the pressure. When I am stripped of my dependence on self I can fully trust His power. I must decrease. He must increase. (John 3:30)
Thanks for writing this. It should be must-read and, more importantly, must-understand for all Christians.
Wow, what great timing. Thanks for writing this, I appreciate your perspective. Someone actually said this to me today, and I thought “If I hear this one more time, I’m going to scream!” I had always assumed this myth to be true, until my recent heartbreak. I’m so grateful for the many loving people who did their very best to offer words of encouragement to me. However, “un-truths” like this one just don’t offer much comfort to someone who is in the middle of “handling more than they can bear.” It IS a comfort to know that I don’t have to endure this alone.
“Gos is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
Thanks for writing this Ron. Hope you don’t mind if I clip a few words and post a link in my blog, because it’s right on target for my readers. When I’m visiting with someone who’s in over their head, I don’t argue with them if they are clinging to this myth to keep them going (or many others that we seem to use in times of trouble), but like you, many have been the times when I recognize that a situation is way too big for me and that only God can deal with it.
So what you are saying is that God will allow more than you can bear alone, but God will not allow more than you can bear with Christ’s help?
Thank you for this – I have always added to that “God must have had a case of mistaken identity where I am concerned. Hello – this is Paula, not some spiritual giant!” LOL! I totally agree with you – we must let Him walk with us or carry us in those times!
So Awesome.