Handling More than We Can Handle
A soldier hovers deep in an underground bunker. Like a human rabbit in a warren he’s avoiding “heat seekers” but he can’t last much longer. You open the letter and your heart is leaden. The insurance didn’t cover a pittance of what you thought. Your Eighth grader got a sexually laced text but wasn’t the least bit bothered. You’re on your way upstairs to have the talk.
We all face adversity. Someone might come alongside us in those times to encourage us by saying, “You got this! You can prevail! You are gifted!” Then, if they are Christians and know your faith, they may add the rocket-booster. “Besides, we know anything that comes our way is not beyond our ability to cope.” After all, the Bible says, “God never gives us more than we can handle.” But - does it say that?! Is that an actual Biblical rocket-booster of encouragement?
It sounds really good. It’s like a promise. If you just trust God, things will not get too bad. They will not be unbearable. Your life will somehow be manageable. More than we can handle will never come our way. Here’s the problem. God never says that in the Bible. In fact, isn’t the Bible largely the story of people given things, even many things they can’t handle?
Take death for example. Grandpa Ned would read through the obits at the counter of the Mishicot Variety store he owned back in 1968. When done reading each name out-loud (he knew every single person) he’d look up, smirk, and say to us boys with our orange Fanta’s, “Usehay - boys isn’t it funny how everybody seems to die in alphabetical order?” My friend, someday you will die in alphabetical order too. So will I. Isn’t that part of not being given too much to handle - not dying?
“Don’t worry about your brother Cain and his anger issue!” This is never said by the LORD to Abel. “God has your back like a chair Uriah the Hittite. David will do you no harm, because God never gives us more than we can handle.” Not said either. Dying is more than we can handle and the general rule in Scripture was people died. In actual fact, those who lived most nobly and fully for the LORD before death in Scripture were often those given by God way more than they could handle. So let’s just state this definitively. “GOD WILL NOT GIVE YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE.” This statement is a lie.
Here’s the actual text people pull this lie from in the Bible. “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” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Notice what God says and doesn’t say through Paul. He does not say that he will minimize suffering by not giving you anything you can’t bear. The context is temptation. God is saying, “No course or temptation you face is beyond the course of what others have faced. Just remember God is faithful and will not let you down. He will even be there to help you by providing for you a way out.”
Top Donuts is less than ten blocks from our house. They have a sign in the window one tends to agree with. “You deserve a donut.” Just in case you didn’t know, inside they have a “hot now” neon light. Their pecan pine cone clusters are so caramel they are nearly sacramental. Taste and see that the LORD is good. Can you tell this tempts me?
To make matters worse my LDL’s are not getting a “BZ” from any commanding doctor these days. So God won’t give me more than I can handle, right? “Jesus if you don’t want me to have a donut, when I drive by Top Donuts this morning do not let there be an open parking space in front of the store.” But alas - seventh time around there was an open parking space. Did God give me more than I can handle or was I just sinfully caving in to my temptation? At any rate a text taken out of context is a pre-text which is what this is from 1 Corinthians 10:13: “GOD WILL NOT GIVE YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE.”
So how do we handle the adversity that comes our way? ”But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). We all do well to take our adversity in stride with a 2 Corinthians 12:9 humility. This is not to deny any pain or problem. This is not to downplay anyone’s suffering. Rather it is to say with Paul and Luther of old, “Here in this trouble I will ‘Let God be God.’” That is to trust that his undeserved love, his kindness and mercy is enough to sustain me.
After all, God’s Son died for me. He rose for me. I’m his and he is mine in his redeeming love. Cleansed, justified, forgiven all these and many more blessings are mine. Surely now he will give me sufficient grace to endure in this trial. “He who did not spare his own Son but graciously gave him up for us all, how will he not together with him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32). In your worst trial truly believe God’s grace really is enough.
Finally, Paul declares that at times God’s purpose in allowing or even bringing our suffering is that Christ’ power be made perfect in our weakness. ”But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:9a). If God wills to show the perfection of his Son’s power in our weakness rather than by our escape from weakness, then he knows best. Again, let’s trust him. Abuse, accidents, bad breaks, caves - all can become moments where when I get weaker Christ’s power in me becomes stronger and more glorious in the eyes of others.
Hebrews 11 is a good guide here. It says that by faith some escaped the edge of the sword (Hebrews 11:34) and by faith some were killed by the sword (Hebrews 11:37). By faith some stopped the mouths of lions (Hebrews 11:33), and by faith others were sawn asunder (Hebrews 11:37). Glorifying the kind of power that moved Christ to the cross was seen in the faith of those who escaped death and those who died by faith as Christ’s power was made perfect in weakness all through their trials. This is how, by his grace, we handle more than we can handle. We trust his grace is enough and his power is made perfect in weakness.
Booth-Tucker preached in Chicago one day, and out from the throng a burdened heckler came and said to him, before all the audience, “You can talk like that about how Christ is dear to you, and helps you; but if your wife was dead, as my wife is, and you had babies crying for their momma who would never come back, you could not say what you are saying."
That very year Booth-Tucker lost his beautiful wife in a railway wreck. The body was brought to Chicago and carried to the Salvation Army barracks for the funeral service. After others had conducted the funeral service a humbled and beaten Booth-Tucker stood there by the casket, looked down into the face of the silent wife and mother, and said, “The other day when I was here, a man said, I could not say Christ was sufficient, if my wife were dead, and my children were crying for their mother. If that man is here, tell him that Christ is sufficient. My heart is all broken, my heart is all crushed, but there is a song in my heart and Christ put it there; and if that man is here, I tell him that, though my wife is gone and my children are motherless, Christ comforts me today.”
Don’t you know that man was there!? Down the aisle he came, and fell down beside the casket, and cried, “If Christ, can truly comfort like that I need to hear more. I need to hear more.” So do we - about how his grace is enough and his power is made perfect in weakness.
