I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this. It sounds good doesn’t it? Especially when you are going through a difficult time in your life. The only problem is I’m not so sure it’s true. I think about Moses when the Israelites left Egypt. Shortly after leaving they found themselves with the Red Sea on one side and the entire Egyptian army closing in on the other. I’m pretty sure that was more than Moses could handle. How about Gideon? Remember him? God called Gideon to rescue the Israelites from the Midianites (not a real nice bunch of guys). To say Gideon was a reluctant leader would be a huge understatement (Judges 6). Not only that, but after assembling his army, God told him it was too big so instead of going into battle with an army of 32,000; God paired it down to 300. I’m pretty sure that was more than Gideon could handle.
Want a modern day examples. Remember Bernie Madoff? He’s the guy who defrauded thousands of investors (some of them his friends) out of billions of dollars. I have a good friend who had a similar experience. He invested all his money with a good friend who took every penny. He’s already lost his house, the bank came and got his cars this week and he’s penniless. They did all the right things: they prepared well for their retirement, they have been very generous with their time and money over the years, they are committed to serving God and have made a significant impact on the kingdom of God, yet they find themselves homeless and penniless and instead of enjoying their retirement, they are both looking for work. I’m pretty sure this has been more than my friends can handle. This is just one of many stories of people I know who are in difficult times and I’m guessing if we sat down over a cup of coffee, you could share some stories of your own.
My personal belief is that God does indeed allow things in our lives that are more than we can handle. What I don’t believe is that God allows things in our lives that HE can’t handle. Just read about the disciples, it’s the story of a group of guys who kept finding themselves in situations where Jesus had to bail them out. And what was the result, their faith in God kept increasing (which was kind of important since it wouldn’t be long until they were running the company) to the point that after Jesus left for heaven, their lives were perfect examples of men who put their complete faith in God.
These are hard times for many people, and while I don’t want to give one cent answers to million dollar questions, maybe these are really opportunities for us to put our dependence in God and not in ourselves. Here’s what I know, either you are in one of those really hard things, you’re just coming out of one of those really hard things, or you are heading into one of those things (some people accuse me of having the spiritual gift of discouragement!)
My penniless friend is a great example of this. For me, I’d be heading to the pawn shop to buy a gun and start looking for my “good friend” who took all my money (at least in prison I’d be guaranteed three square meals and a bed to sleep in). For him, he’s looking for God in all this and while it hasn’t been easy, I’m confident that’s exactly what he’ll find.
Want a modern day examples. Remember Bernie Madoff? He’s the guy who defrauded thousands of investors (some of them his friends) out of billions of dollars. I have a good friend who had a similar experience. He invested all his money with a good friend who took every penny. He’s already lost his house, the bank came and got his cars this week and he’s penniless. They did all the right things: they prepared well for their retirement, they have been very generous with their time and money over the years, they are committed to serving God and have made a significant impact on the kingdom of God, yet they find themselves homeless and penniless and instead of enjoying their retirement, they are both looking for work. I’m pretty sure this has been more than my friends can handle. This is just one of many stories of people I know who are in difficult times and I’m guessing if we sat down over a cup of coffee, you could share some stories of your own.
My personal belief is that God does indeed allow things in our lives that are more than we can handle. What I don’t believe is that God allows things in our lives that HE can’t handle. Just read about the disciples, it’s the story of a group of guys who kept finding themselves in situations where Jesus had to bail them out. And what was the result, their faith in God kept increasing (which was kind of important since it wouldn’t be long until they were running the company) to the point that after Jesus left for heaven, their lives were perfect examples of men who put their complete faith in God.
These are hard times for many people, and while I don’t want to give one cent answers to million dollar questions, maybe these are really opportunities for us to put our dependence in God and not in ourselves. Here’s what I know, either you are in one of those really hard things, you’re just coming out of one of those really hard things, or you are heading into one of those things (some people accuse me of having the spiritual gift of discouragement!)
My penniless friend is a great example of this. For me, I’d be heading to the pawn shop to buy a gun and start looking for my “good friend” who took all my money (at least in prison I’d be guaranteed three square meals and a bed to sleep in). For him, he’s looking for God in all this and while it hasn’t been easy, I’m confident that’s exactly what he’ll find.
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