9 Common Lies Christians BelieveSýnishorn

God won’t give you more than you can handle. Is this cliché biblically true? Often when we believe or regurgitate this statement, really what we’re saying is that we don’t want more than what we believe we can handle. If we’re honest, we make plans for ourselves that keep us comfortable, and we want God to bless those plans and stay inside those boundaries. However, God hardly ever operates that way. He almost always gives us more than we can handle on our own so that we’ll seek Him for help and guidance. 

One of the greatest promises that God gives us in Scripture is not that He will keep us out of difficult situations or that He will make sure we never experience suffering. Rather, He promises to be with us in those difficult situations and be an ever-present help in times of suffering. 

He also doesn’t promise us that we’ll face only things we can handle. If we were able to handle everything in life on our own, then why would we need God? Often the biggest blessing of being in over our heads in life is that we have an opportunity to rely on a God who can take on anything and everything. He is able. So, the promise that can be found throughout the Bible is not that He won’t give you more than you can handle, but rather that He won’t give you more than He can handle through you. 

Even in the most extreme circumstances, He will carry you through it all. You can survive because of His grace. You may not be able to explain it, but sometimes the greatest gifts are those you can’t explain. You may not understand it, but somehow you have peace, even in the midst of the storm. It’s a storm you can’t handle, and yet you still endure. Why? Because He is with you. Somehow you feel the strength to stand firm because you’re standing on Him as your foundation.

Questions for Reflection: 

Before reading this, what came to your mind when you heard the statement “God won’t give you more than you can handle”? 

Recall your most recent significant struggle (you may still be in it). Why is faith in God so valuable during these difficult circumstances?

Truth: 

Sometimes God gives us more than we can handle, but He never gives us more than He can handle through us.