Monday, February 7, 2011

More Than We Can Handle

“I will lift my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).

Crushed in spirit by an unexpected crisis, I broke down in tears. How much more can I handle, God? My already full plate shattered when the news that a family member was in serious trouble was heaped upon it. It was the kind of trouble I was powerless to fix. Looking for encouragement from friends their cavalier response, “You’re strong, have faith, God won’t give you more than you can handle” made me want to scream in rebuttal. Can you relate?

Does God give us more than we can handle? I believe He does. Is it because God is unsympathetic and delights in seeing us suffer? No, it’s because He wants us to surrender the problem to Him for help. Have you ever posed the question of God’s goodness and mercy to your friends only to receive a reply that made you feel more discouraged and alienated? We interpret this as unfair when Jesus allows comments from well-meaning friends to baffle and frustrate us. But if we probe the Scriptures we begin to see that the Lord longs to be our greatest source of comfort.

Honestly, if we could solve all our problems ourselves, or by following the advice of others, why would we need God’s help? As life clutters our minds we forget we were created to know God, to love God, and to worship Him. Often it takes a “beyond our control” situation to bring us to our knees in prayer. Jesus is not being cruel when He allows trouble to befall us. He’s using it to draw us near to Him because He is the one person who will never abandon us.

God who is perfect created us for human relationships, but we are all imperfect beings. None of us can adequately meet anyone’s needs no matter how much we love them. It’s not that we shouldn’t seek human advice, but what happens if that person cannot help, or they die? Are we left without counsel or comfort? No, because God is all powerful and everlasting. That is why we seek Christ first. Sometimes He speaks to us through others, but always He talks to us through His Word.

Learning to trust in the Lord takes time and practice. If you spend time talking with God about life’s heartaches you will find the peace you are seeking, even if the problem hasn’t been resolved. Psalm 121:8 says, “The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.” He can and will handle whatever you give Him.

Your fellow sojourner,

Mary

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