Strength

Don’t you just love that verse in the Bible that says “God will never put more on you than you can bear?”  In all my years as a pastor, that verse has been one of the most often quoted verses when I talk with people.  Many times when a child of God is going through a difficult, personal struggle they are reassured by these well intended words of support.  We all love the belief that even though we are going through some perilous times, our God is watching and waiting and at just the right moment He will reach down and deliver us before it becomes “more than we can bear.” The problem is that this verse is NOT in the Bible.  However, we love the concept so much, we have actually made up a verse that says so, embedded it into our Holy Scripture, memorized it and quoted it so many times it has become canonized and inerrant just like the rest of God’s word.  Careful now.  God has warned us about adding words (or verses) to His Bible (Rev. 22:18)   So before you grab your concordance, determined to find the verse and prove me wrong, let me try to explain.

The closest verse I could find to this idea is 1 Cor. 10:13 which states; “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”  Sound familiar?  Notice though that this verse is speaking directly and specifically about temptation; teaching us that no temptation will come upon us that is too much for us to bear.  It is not referring here to other types of struggles like tribulations or trials or hardships or even persecutions.  As a matter of fact, this verse teaches that God will empower us to overcome any and all temptation as long as we lean on Him and follow His commands.  But what about personal struggle?

The fact is, the Bible teaches that we are permitted to face things throughout our lives that are, in fact, more than we can bear; at least more than we can bear alone.  God calls us to be in relationship with Him and to learn to lean on him and trust in His abiding presence and power.  God is always drawing us to Himself where His love and mercy will sustain us no matter what trials we may be experiencing at the time.

I am reminded of the Apostles Paul’s testimony concerning his own personal struggle.  He wrote that no less than three times he cried out to God for deliverance from a “thorn in his flesh” that tormented him.  Instead of delivering him, God assured him with these words; “My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  (2 Cor. 12:9)  Paul then went on to say, “I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (2 Cor. 12:10)  The truth is clear.  There are many things that happen in our lives that would be more than we can bear.  However, nothing will ever happen to the child of God that is more than He can bear.  So, if we are going to make up a Bible verse, at least let it be one that completely represents the truth.  Try this one “God will never put more on you than He can bear.”  Now that is the truth.

Thanks for reading.

PS.  “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”  Not in the Bible.