OUR RESCUER

 MARCH 2, 2023

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Are you familiar with the following saying: “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.”? This is a statement most of us have heard. Maybe we have said it at one time or another.

Can I ask when it was said to you, how did it feel to hear it?

Was it a comfort to hear?

Was it said in a loving way, or in a trivialising way?

What was the context and situation of your life when it was spoken?

Generally, these words are spoken in a supportive way, as an attempt to comfort someone who is facing challenges that are outside of their control. Maybe the person is grieving. Maybe the person is facing financial hardship, or struggling with mental illness, or a broken relationship. It is in these shattering places, that “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle” is offered. Now, maybe I am way off base here, but my experience has been that when someone is at the point of devastation, hopelessness or even despair, the words “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle” rarely work to comfort that person. 

I have said these words to people in the hard places in life, in reflection, I wonder if I spoke them because I was uncomfortable with another persons situation, and I just didn’t know what to say. I wonder if it would have been better for them if I had said nothing and just sat with them and listened. 

A friend said to me, that this sentence sounds like a trite, churchy way of saying, “suck it up, buttercup, clearly this is something you can handle, so quit your belly-aching.” I don’t know if she is correct, but this certainly isn’t what we intend to say. Yet, this is the way that it is often received, so I believe that we should just quit saying it! No one needs to hear, or is comforted by the notion that God has given them the hardship they face, and that he did so because he knows they can handle it if they just try hard enough.

But this saying isn’t  in the Bible! This verse we are reading today is probably the closest thing to the well-known platitude but this verse DOES NOT say that God gives us anything. Look up top and read it again. The context of the verse is important, it uses the history of God’s people and the way they sinned against God to encourage Christians to avoid the same pitfalls of sin. This reading tells us of God’s FAITHFULNESS and calls us to humility. Look closer at these verses again; what do you see God doing? God isn’t giving challenges, or testing people at all, but instead we are reminded that God rescues us, saves us, show us a way out, and gives us endurance. You may not agree with me, but I believe this is much better news, than maybe we thought!

As an alternative what if were to say something like

"the world cannot give you anything
that God can't handle"? 

LET US PRAY

God,
You are always here for us, and the path you guide us in is the path of righteousness, peace, and life. Teach us the depth of your love and  that redemption is always the point. In Jesus’ name, Amen