Never Alone
Today, I want to pause our study of 2 Thessalonians to address an issue prevalent inside and outside the church. Mill House Ministries has often addressed common lies thrown at Christianity and how Christians should respond to them. We do this because we need to defend our faith. So what lie will we address today? It is the saying that “God will never give you more than you can handle.”
For the staff at Mill House Ministry, this saying and the biblical response to it have been very prevalent in the recent weeks. Because of this, it is at the forefront of my mind to ensure our readers understand why this saying is not biblical, and what the actual biblical response should be when life becomes too much, and it feels like there are attacks on all sides.
The first thing to address is the saying itself. If you have spent any amount of time studying God’s word, you will see that those who follow Him are given plenty and it is often more than they can handle. Think of Job, who lost his children, his animals, developed illnesses, had his friends tell him that it was his own fault that all of this was happening, and even had his wife tell him to curse God and die. Think of David, who followed God’s will but was hunted and persecuted by Saul. Think of Stephen who was stoned to death. Think of Jesus, the Son of God Himself, who in the garden of Gethsemane prayed to God that not His will but the will of the Father be done. In human terms, all of these individuals faced more than they can handle, and so it is why you will never see this saying anywhere in the Bible.
However, this does not mean that God leaves us defenseless when times become hard. Think of Job, who, after he had recognized God’s goodness and acknowledged that no purpose of God’s can be thwarted, received blessing upon blessing. Think of David, whom God promised would be the father of a line that would continue, and through whom a ruler (Jesus) would come. Think of Stephen, who before he died, saw Jesus standing next to God the Father waiting to welcome him home. Think of Jesus, who knew that bearing the cross would allow sinful man to be made righteous in the eyes of God. There is something that all of these individuals and we believers have in common when our world becomes too much. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24b, and we have the promise from Jesus Himself, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20. We cannot face our difficulties on our own, but the good news is we don’t have to! We have God Himself, the Creator and master of the universe who comforts us! For the believer, our trials are meant to draw us closer to Him!
However, this is not all that God gives us to help during difficult times, although if the Holy Spirit and God’s word were all we had, that would be enough. God also provides us a community of believers. This is why God wants us to be part of a church and have fellowship with other believers! “25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25. When we have a group of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who we can call on and depend on them to be praying for us, we are given encouragement. Our “big” problems become a little less big when we keep it in perspective of who we are serving and know that there are others who are praying for us. We have mentioned it before: prayer is the artillery fire for a Christian; it is something that we cannot neglect.
There are believers all around the world today who are facing issues that the world would have them believe is beyond their capability to handle. As believers, we need to remember that we do not need to lean on our own strength. We have the Almighty God, the Alpha and Omega, on our side. We can freely bring our worries to Him, and He will send encouragement through His word. Not only that, but we also have our fellow believers to lean on. If you are struggling with fear, doubt, uncertainty, and confusion, I ask that you take a moment to pray that God gives you wisdom, guidance, and discernment. Then I ask that you reach out to believers that you trust and tell them of your struggle. You will quickly see you don't have to face it alone!
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex