More Than You Can Handle?

Scripture: Psalm 94:18 – “When I thought, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your steadfast love, O Lord, help me up.” (NRSVUE)

Last night at our book study, we decided the next book we will look at is Half Truths: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves and Other Things the Bible Doesn’t Say by Adam Hamilton. It looks at various aphorisms that we think are in the Bible, but actually aren’t, and only express “half truths” about what God is saying to us.

One of those is “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” These are supposed to be comforting words. When we are overwhelmed and think we cannot go any further, we are reminded that we can face the challenges in front of us.

My problem with this idea is that it implies that all of our problems come from God, and that the worry and suffering we face over health problems or economic struggles are just God testing us to see if we are good enough. This doesn’t seem like the God I love and worship.

Instead, I think that there are times when you are given more than you can handle. While you shouldn’t give up at the first sign of trouble, there are times when you need to ask for help. This can be as simple as a request to a friend to take over a simple task or lend a listening ear. It can be confessing that you have a problem that you have been ignoring and need help facing it. It can be asking someone to walk by your side while you face a difficult decision.

But there are some problems your friends cannot help us with. That is when you need to rely on God. There are countless cries for help in the Psalms, but just as many confessions of trust in God in the face of trouble. One such example comes from Psalm 94. “When I thought, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your steadfast love, O Lord, help me up.”

When your foot gives way under you, that isn’t a time to believe you can handle things. But in that panic, you can get the sense that you are not alone, and that God, instead of testing you, is helping you.

When things are spinning out of control, remember that God will lift you up, whether it is through saving you from trouble or providing a loving presence in your pain. We all slip from time to time, but with faith, we know we are never alone.

Prayer: God, sometimes I face more than I can handle. But come what may, you shall always lift my spirit. Amen.