I’ve had a rough several weeks and on a particularly rough day, someone told me “God will not give you more than you can handle.” That didn’t help – because I felt like it was way, waaay more than I could handle. Then I started thinking about this common saying and wondered, “Is this even true? It doesn’t feel like it at all.” I’ve concluded after much thought and Scripture searching that this phrase that is meant to be helpful is actually not true, and not even helpful considering what Scripture teaches.
The people who quote this saying usually back up the statement by sticking it with the verse 1 Corinthians 10:13. There are two problems with this belief.
First, the idea that God will not give us more than we can handle contradicts Scripture! Consider John 15:4 & 5 “…as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me … for without me, ye can do nothing.” Also consider the many verses that show that it is only by God’s strength and grace that we can get through life and its trials:
Isaiah 40:29-31 “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Psalm 9:9 “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble.”
Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”
…and, of course, the famous one:
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Consider also the story of Job. God didn’t tell Job, “Don’t worry. You are strong enough to handle this.” No! He told Job over and over “Look at who I AM! Consider who you are in comparison to Me!” God displayed the limitations of man in comparison to His power and wisdom.
If it is so important for us to turn to God and rely on His strength and grace to get us through trials, why would He ever tell us “I won’t give you more than you can handle”? Answer: He won’t and will never tell us that. He absolutely does gives us more than we can handle! That is the whole point! The realization that we can’t handle things on our own is one of the biggest driving forces to cause us to fall on our knees in humility and draw close to the Lord and ask for His strength and grace to get through life.
Second, let’s just consider the context of this verse along with it’s surrounding verses.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-4. In these verses, Paul compares the original Israelites hardships and trials during their exodus from Egypt to those of the Corinthian church. In short, he tells them that the trials and hardships they face are not unique to them, nor do they have a different God than past followers of Christ.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:5-12. In these verses, we read that God was displeased with the Israelites because they succumbed to sin (idolatry, sexual immorality, murmuring against God’s commands), and that He is using them as a negative example for us. Therefore, we are not to think of ourselves as having attained any capability to stand on our own.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is the final verse in this section and our main verse for this post. It says, “No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and God is faithful, so He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
Sweet sisters in Christ, these verses are not saying God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. They are talking about temptations to sin. Now, during hardships and trials we can be tempted to sin (just like the Israelites were), but I strongly believe these verses are specifically talking about the temptation to sin and not the trials themselves. This is supported by verse 14 that, although starts a new section/thought, says “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (emphasis added).
God has given us the victory over sin in that we no longer are required to sin and that we have a choice—we have a “way of escape.” The ability to “escape” was given to us by Jesus when He died on Calvary’s cross. He conquered both death and sin, and for those of us who are saved, we have been baptized into Christ’s death—meaning we too have victory over death and sin! Therefore, we what 1 Corinthians 10:13 actually means is that God will never allow us to be tempted to sin beyond what we can resist in His power.
So, please do not take this verse to mean that God won’t give you more than you can handle. He does that ever moment of every day, and the reason for it is so that we will realize just how much we need Him in every single moment of our lives.
His Grace in My Weakness 