Monthly Women's Devotional
Can You Handle It?
Have you heard the saying God will never give you more than you can handle? This type of unverified claim is referred to as Bumper Sticker Theology, or feel-good theology.
Is it Biblically sound, or does it just sound Biblical?
Most likely, the thought that God will never give you more than you can handle is mistakenly derived from Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10:13, which states that “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.” If we examine this verse closer, the original Greek word for “tempted” here can refer to sin, suffering, or a trial; however, in this context, Paul is distinctively talking about the temptation to sin. We know this because of the preceding text’s content, which is Israel’s sins of idolatry and sexual immorality... as opposed to trials and sufferings.
When people take these words about temptations to sin and apply them to trials and sufferings, then the saying is false. In fact, the opposite is true; God might very well give us more than we can handle! For example, in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, Paul declares, “. . . At that time, we were completely overwhelmed; the burden was more than we could bear. In fact, we told ourselves that this was the end. Yet we believe now that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead.” (J. B. Phillips translation)
Paul is illustrating how powerless both he and the Corinthians were apart from God when facing overwhelming trials and tribulations. Paul believed he would die, he was under such pressure. At times, our life journey can prove to be more than we can handle, and Paul definitely saw this situation as something he could NOT handle or bear on his own. Thus, his final words in 1:9, “... that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead.”
Ladies, in this life we “will have trials and troubles” (John 16:33) that are oftentimes more than we can handle, but thankfully, we have a loving God who is ready and willing to carry us when we are at the end of our rope, just as Paul was. Is there someone in your life who is walking a path that is far beyond what they can bear? I encourage you to reach out to him/her with Paul’s promise that no matter what we are facing, we can always rely on God, who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and who desires our dependence on Him.
Have you heard the saying God will never give you more than you can handle? This type of unverified claim is referred to as Bumper Sticker Theology, or feel-good theology.
Is it Biblically sound, or does it just sound Biblical?
Most likely, the thought that God will never give you more than you can handle is mistakenly derived from Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10:13, which states that “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.” If we examine this verse closer, the original Greek word for “tempted” here can refer to sin, suffering, or a trial; however, in this context, Paul is distinctively talking about the temptation to sin. We know this because of the preceding text’s content, which is Israel’s sins of idolatry and sexual immorality... as opposed to trials and sufferings.
When people take these words about temptations to sin and apply them to trials and sufferings, then the saying is false. In fact, the opposite is true; God might very well give us more than we can handle! For example, in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, Paul declares, “. . . At that time, we were completely overwhelmed; the burden was more than we could bear. In fact, we told ourselves that this was the end. Yet we believe now that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead.” (J. B. Phillips translation)
Paul is illustrating how powerless both he and the Corinthians were apart from God when facing overwhelming trials and tribulations. Paul believed he would die, he was under such pressure. At times, our life journey can prove to be more than we can handle, and Paul definitely saw this situation as something he could NOT handle or bear on his own. Thus, his final words in 1:9, “... that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead.”
Ladies, in this life we “will have trials and troubles” (John 16:33) that are oftentimes more than we can handle, but thankfully, we have a loving God who is ready and willing to carry us when we are at the end of our rope, just as Paul was. Is there someone in your life who is walking a path that is far beyond what they can bear? I encourage you to reach out to him/her with Paul’s promise that no matter what we are facing, we can always rely on God, who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and who desires our dependence on Him.
