I have a theory. Recently, several of my friends, and I as well, have gone through some intense challenges. One saying I have heard more than once, from a variety of different folks, is the old stand-by, "God will not give us more than we can handle." I have heard saying often, but only recently have I really looked at the verse the saying is based on.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (New International Version)
13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.
What really stood out to me surrounding this saying and verse is that I have often felt like God has given me more than I can handle. Not that God was being mean or spiteful in any way (even though my feelings might have said otherwise), but that He was forcing me to give up control and rely on him. My sinful nature is to try and take control of my life and to try to just 'gut-out' challenges and get through them on my own. As I have chronicled in the past, last year was rough for me physically. The medical issues I had left me fatigued all the time, no matter how much I slept. There were many days where I felt completely overwhelmed and unable to face the day ahead. I had to rely on God just to make it through the day. Those 'dreadful days' brought the scripture below to mind.
8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
So, as my theory goes, I started to think about 'the saying' versus the scripture, because I know the scripture is the truth of the matter. The saying, as it is often quoted, is 'God won't give you more than you can bear'. The verse the saying is based on says, 'he will not TEMPT you beyond what you can bear.' A subtle wording difference, but a difference in the wording sometimes changes the meaning of what is being said. Most often when I hear the saying it is to comfort those who are under going a trial. I do understand that sometimes the trial IS the fact that we being tempted. In some way Satan is tempting us with something we are struggling with and it is difficult to persevere through and it tries our very spirit. But there are challenges that are not created as a consequence of our sinful nature. There are challenges, as referenced in 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, that come from God in an effort to push us to let go and rely on Him. The saying can, in a sense, become unintentionally wrong. I don't believe the saying has ever been intended to harm anyone, in fact, almost every time I have heard someone say it, they were making effort to encourage me or someone else. Frequently though, the thought behind it wasn't necessarily biblically sound. To make a long story short, my theory is that God DOES sometimes give us more than we can bear. Sometimes challenges come up that overwhelm us to the point that the only way to get through it is to perform a virtual trust fall by giving up control and completely placing ourselves in the Lord's hands. Challenges that happen so that we 'might rely not ourselves but on God.' Challenges that are meant to shake us up, get us to quit being independent, and force us to give up control to God. There are also times that God allows Satan to tempt us, but those challenges are not beyond our ability to endure, but are, in fact, opportunities for us overcome. During those times of temptation, God says that, 'he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.'
This could all just very well be semantics, but it does bring something to mind that I have seen plague Christians for a long time. I believe that sometimes our faith is tested by our own misunderstanding. Sometimes we struggle with doubt that wouldn't be there if we understood more about God from a biblical perspective. If we took the time to really examine all the 'sayings' that we sometimes default to, and took the time to really understand what it is we believe, we might see ways that we can shore up our own convictions and maybe even help shore up the convictions of our brothers and sisters. We might just uncover areas we really don't understand and need to get some bibical teaching on.
In the end, the lesson here is that we need to rely on God no matter the situation. And we also need to encourage one another by accurately representing his word and his heart to each other and the world we live in.
2 Corinthians 1: 8-10 (New International Version)
8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
So, as my theory goes, I started to think about 'the saying' versus the scripture, because I know the scripture is the truth of the matter. The saying, as it is often quoted, is 'God won't give you more than you can bear'. The verse the saying is based on says, 'he will not TEMPT you beyond what you can bear.' A subtle wording difference, but a difference in the wording sometimes changes the meaning of what is being said. Most often when I hear the saying it is to comfort those who are under going a trial. I do understand that sometimes the trial IS the fact that we being tempted. In some way Satan is tempting us with something we are struggling with and it is difficult to persevere through and it tries our very spirit. But there are challenges that are not created as a consequence of our sinful nature. There are challenges, as referenced in 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, that come from God in an effort to push us to let go and rely on Him. The saying can, in a sense, become unintentionally wrong. I don't believe the saying has ever been intended to harm anyone, in fact, almost every time I have heard someone say it, they were making effort to encourage me or someone else. Frequently though, the thought behind it wasn't necessarily biblically sound. To make a long story short, my theory is that God DOES sometimes give us more than we can bear. Sometimes challenges come up that overwhelm us to the point that the only way to get through it is to perform a virtual trust fall by giving up control and completely placing ourselves in the Lord's hands. Challenges that happen so that we 'might rely not ourselves but on God.' Challenges that are meant to shake us up, get us to quit being independent, and force us to give up control to God. There are also times that God allows Satan to tempt us, but those challenges are not beyond our ability to endure, but are, in fact, opportunities for us overcome. During those times of temptation, God says that, 'he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.'
This could all just very well be semantics, but it does bring something to mind that I have seen plague Christians for a long time. I believe that sometimes our faith is tested by our own misunderstanding. Sometimes we struggle with doubt that wouldn't be there if we understood more about God from a biblical perspective. If we took the time to really examine all the 'sayings' that we sometimes default to, and took the time to really understand what it is we believe, we might see ways that we can shore up our own convictions and maybe even help shore up the convictions of our brothers and sisters. We might just uncover areas we really don't understand and need to get some bibical teaching on.
In the end, the lesson here is that we need to rely on God no matter the situation. And we also need to encourage one another by accurately representing his word and his heart to each other and the world we live in.
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