More Than You Can Handle
"'Remember, God will never give you more than you can handle.'
People repeat this frequently; I heard it when I was growing up and I hear it now. It is meant to be a source of encouragement, and it would be if I believed it were true.
But I don't.
I believe that God totally, absolutely, intentionally gives us more than we can handle. Because this is when we surrender to Him and He takes over, proving Himself by doing the impossible in our lives. " - Katie Davis, Kisses From Katie p. 135
I couldn't agree more. I, also, have heard that saying for years. I used to accept it as gospel truth. Literally. Yet, as one thinks about it more, it makes you wonder. After all, there are no verses that support that saying in the Bible. Don't believe me? "Google it" as the old man says (or maybe I should say, "young man says...").
Why did God give so many people in the Bible, more than they could handle? Was it more than they could handle or were they "super-people"? Did God only give assignments like that to people who can handle more than the average person? They are the "Bible Characters" after all. Surely they knew that pictures of them would be on glossy paper all over Children's Sunday school classrooms thousands of years after they lived. Surely they knew that, right?
What do you think? I don't think they did. I don't think they were "super-people." I believe that they were ordinary people. But one thing that they all had in common was the word, "yes." They all said "yes" to God's call. They were just people. They were given impossible tasks.
I'm sure Joshua looked up at the walls of Jericho and didn't think, "Oh I can handle this!! This isn't more than I can handle!!!" No! I believe that he looked up at those huge walls and gulped a hard swallow. I bet he said, "Oh Lord, this is MORE than I can handle. You alone can do this."
1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:1-2
God does give us a lot sometimes. Or at least he has for me. But He promises to be with us. He won't let us go and expect us to make it on our own. We can't. We may think we can.... but at some point it's just too big. Too much.
Philippians 4:13 seems to be about everyone's favorite Bible verse, but I wonder if we really know what it means. "Nothing is impossible with God." Sometimes I think, "Nothing is impossible." I leave out the "with God part." Only with God is the impossible possible. You can try all day to fix your problems claiming that verse, but without God, you have nothing... I have nothing.
God may give you more than you can handle, dear friend. But He doesn't want you to handle it alone. When you want to scream up at Heaven, "This is TOO MUCH!" Just remember one thing. God gave all of that to you because He wants to use you. He wants to use YOUR life as an example of His amazing glory, His love and His redemption.
When we let God handle our "too big" problems, He alone can get the glory. And that was the plan all along.
People repeat this frequently; I heard it when I was growing up and I hear it now. It is meant to be a source of encouragement, and it would be if I believed it were true.
But I don't.
I believe that God totally, absolutely, intentionally gives us more than we can handle. Because this is when we surrender to Him and He takes over, proving Himself by doing the impossible in our lives. " - Katie Davis, Kisses From Katie p. 135
I couldn't agree more. I, also, have heard that saying for years. I used to accept it as gospel truth. Literally. Yet, as one thinks about it more, it makes you wonder. After all, there are no verses that support that saying in the Bible. Don't believe me? "Google it" as the old man says (or maybe I should say, "young man says...").
Why did God give so many people in the Bible, more than they could handle? Was it more than they could handle or were they "super-people"? Did God only give assignments like that to people who can handle more than the average person? They are the "Bible Characters" after all. Surely they knew that pictures of them would be on glossy paper all over Children's Sunday school classrooms thousands of years after they lived. Surely they knew that, right?
What do you think? I don't think they did. I don't think they were "super-people." I believe that they were ordinary people. But one thing that they all had in common was the word, "yes." They all said "yes" to God's call. They were just people. They were given impossible tasks.
I'm sure Joshua looked up at the walls of Jericho and didn't think, "Oh I can handle this!! This isn't more than I can handle!!!" No! I believe that he looked up at those huge walls and gulped a hard swallow. I bet he said, "Oh Lord, this is MORE than I can handle. You alone can do this."
1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:1-2
God does give us a lot sometimes. Or at least he has for me. But He promises to be with us. He won't let us go and expect us to make it on our own. We can't. We may think we can.... but at some point it's just too big. Too much.
Philippians 4:13 seems to be about everyone's favorite Bible verse, but I wonder if we really know what it means. "Nothing is impossible with God." Sometimes I think, "Nothing is impossible." I leave out the "with God part." Only with God is the impossible possible. You can try all day to fix your problems claiming that verse, but without God, you have nothing... I have nothing.
God may give you more than you can handle, dear friend. But He doesn't want you to handle it alone. When you want to scream up at Heaven, "This is TOO MUCH!" Just remember one thing. God gave all of that to you because He wants to use you. He wants to use YOUR life as an example of His amazing glory, His love and His redemption.
When we let God handle our "too big" problems, He alone can get the glory. And that was the plan all along.
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