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God Knows How Much We Can Take
God knows how much we can take. I'm sure glad that He does, because sometimes it feels like I am stretched beyond the limits. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it 1 Corinthians 10:13 It is very deceiving to think that God is insensitive to our problems. Unfortunately, many individuals, including Christians, feel like God actually causes their problems. While it is true that God can work through circumstance for good, He never sends things our way to hurt us. God is not the author of confusion, but peace (see 1 Corinthians 14:33). God knows just how much we can take. His watchful eye carefully monitors every event in our life. He knows exactly how much the pain is bearing down on our heart, and He will not permit it to reach the breaking point. Jesus is our High Priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but He was tempted in all points like we are… He feels our hurts more intensely than we ever could. When Satan has harassed us enough, Jesus steps in and says "Enough". The Lord will not allow us to bear hurt and pain that no longer draws us to Him. When pain begins to downgrade our spiritual life, God stops it. Hurt is never allowed to hinder our growth or place us at a disadvantage in our spiritual battle. He will come in and deliver us on time. This statement is pretty basic and may not very spiritual, but it's scriptural. "When you are really hurting, cry". That's right, weep. Apparently, crying is good therapy. When Jesus saw Mary and Martha weeping at the grave of Lazarus, it was painful for Him. So He wept. When the cock crowed three times reminding Peter of his denial of any association with Jesus Christ, He wept bitterly. Peter cried until he couldn't cry anymore. Those tears helped to sustain Peter until Jesus reaffirmed him. Jesus never looks away from a crying heart. A broken and contrite spirit, He will not despise (Psalms 51:17). It is surprising what we can go through with God on our side. Just take a moment and look back. I am sure you will agree that God brought us from a mighty long way. We couldn't have made it this far on our own, but God, in His infinite mercy, didn't allow more than we could bear. We cannot stop painful things from coming our way. Happiness doesn't mean we won't feel pain. It means living life day by day, trusting God to see through whatever we face. It means knowing in our heart that beyond our feelings of rejection and abandonment, God will deliver us. He will give us the wisdom and strength to deal with life's changing challenges. Listen friend, we can't deliver ourselves; God has to do it. When heartache and trouble surround us and we can't see our way out, Jesus is the one who holds us up. We simply need Him to take care of us. By: Edmund Brown |