I waited with anticipation for the associate minister to preach. A few minutes into his sermon a darkly clad woman wearing black shades stood up from one of the pews. She slowly walked down the aisle to the front of the church. She had a testimony.
It was apparent she was heavily burdened with the weight of the world upon her shoulders. She testified that she had not been feeling well and made an appointment to see a physician. The physician discovered she had a hole in her heart and a problem with her kidney.
As grief-stricken tears tumbled down her cheeks, she said, “Last Sunday, the Pastor told us God will not give us more than we can bear.” She paused and continued, “But, I beg to differ. He will give us more than we can bear.”
In all honesty, the statement she made concerning God can give us more than we can bear would not leave my mind. I looked up the word burden in my Bible. I was led to this verse: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
God does not want any of His children to suffer with unbearable burdens such as temptations, illnesses, deaths of loved ones, or any other life changing circumstance. Our human nature can thwart our best intentions to stay on the righteous track of faith. We can fall into the trap of allowing negative thoughts and raw emotions to consume our minds instead of holding on to the promises of God. We question, Why me, Lord?
However, even as a child of God we will still have to face the adversities of life. Christians are not spiritually of this world but surely are still physically living in this world. We have to face some of the same obstacles as our brothers and sisters who are not in Christ Jesus.
Yet, Christians have the hope and the blessed assurance of God’s mercy. We know when we reach our personal point of no return; when our burdens feel so heavy that we are crashing face down to the dust from which we came; when we are blindly feeling – scraping the tips of our fingers against the sides of the dark tunnel of despair; when we desperately are trying to find an escape route; and when we finally cry out, Father! I need you I cannot bear this burden a minute longer – our merciful God will pull us out of that dark tunnel into the light with the blink of an eye.
Can God give us more than we can bear? No, I beg to differ. I know through His Word, He will not.
