There’s a popular saying often attributed to the Bible that goes something like, “God won’t ever give you more than you can handle.” Two words for that in my opinion; ba- and loney. I’ve found that to be so far from the truth it’s not even funny. God does very often give us more than we can handle. Just ask Paul about his thorn in the flesh or look at Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.

If all God have us were things we could handle, we really wouldn’t need Him, would we? How would God get any glory out of putting me in situations that I could solve on my own? The point I think is that God very often puts us in situations that He knows and we know we can’t handle expressly for the purpose of showing us our dependence on Him so that we rely solely on Him and He gets the utmost glory. I’ve seen that many times in my life.

There’s that person in your life that God is calling you to love. That annoying person that grates your nerves every time you have a conversation. Someone you can’t possibly love or even like on your own. But God calls you to do both.

God takes away your career or your health or a loved one and you are left in shambles and you feel like you will never possibly ever recover. You can’t handle it. God can. He knows what it’s like to lose Someone close to Him; just ask Jesus. He can and will walk with you through your pain and see you through to the other side, more confident in His love and His faithfulness than ever before.

Maybe God is calling you to step out in faith and do something outside of your comfort zone and your talents and abilities. You know you can’t do what He’s calling you to do on your own, so you learn to lean on Him and rely on Him for everything.

If you’re in a job you think you can’t stand and wonder how you can make it through the day, you find that God is sufficient to carry you through. If you’re in a marriage that seems past salvaging, you will find that God will be your strength just when you need it. If you feel like a hapless romantic with no hope of ever getting married, you find that God meets you at your deepest need and shows Himself to be the very truest desire of your heart.

Don’t look at your circumstances and what you perceive God is doing; look at His heart and trust in His character. Trust in His faithfulness and believe His love never fails. I surely don’t have a lot of answers, especially when it comes to pain or suffering, but I know I’ve never seen my God abandon or desert one of His children in a time of need. His specialty is rescue and restoration. He will do it.

Amen and amen.