No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
I Corinthians 10:13
You have have heard it said, based on the proof-text above, that our Heavenly Father won't give you more than you can handle, or, depending on who you're talking to, won't allow more to happen to you than you can handle! There are many Christians out there who would beg to differ! To most of us, whether we are a 'strong' Christian or not, when we go through certain trials and temptations, it seems like more than we can do to come through them, much less with flying colors!
This is not to say that our Heavenly Father WILL allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able, although it sure might seem like it at the time, for He HAS given us a way through which we might be able to bear the burden! His People, the Family of God, are there to help us through each and every difficulty that we might face!
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
Often, when we feel that we do not have the strength for the trial or temptation that has been placed in our path, it is because we do not ask for help! James told his readers, 'you do not have because you do not ask' ( James 4:2 ) Jesus told His disciples 'ask, and it will be given to you' ( Matthew 7:7 ). Often, we don't receive the help we want or need because we fail to share our burdens with the Community, or Body of Christ around us! Now, going back to the statement from James, a bit further on, we often do not have our lust satisfied even when we ask, because either the request is deemed unworthy of us, or the thing asked is beyond the capability of the one presented with the request!
Sometimes, maybe usually, our Heavenly Father, like any good father will do, does test us, not as in tempting us to wrong actions, but to try us, to see whether or not we will stand up for what we believe, or even to prove to us that we can endure, using the human resources that He has placed at our disposal! It is in these trials, or testings, that we prove what we are made of and so prove Jesus words true; 'Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.' ( Mark 11:23 )
Let us remember to share our burdens with each other, for it is when we do not share these burdens, that most often we fail to see our prayers answered! ( Now, don't get me wrong here; I'm not saying that our Heavenly Father does not answer some prayers in a super-natural way, but most often, I believe, uses natural means to accomplish His purposes! ) This doesn't always guarantee either, that our needs or wants will be met the moment we ask, either; sometimes our patience is being tested!
We can be assured though, that if we lean upon our Heavenly Father's might right arm, whether it be through some super-natural help, or through our Communion with the Body of His Son, we will not be disappointed, and the desire of our heart WILL be met! With a little patience and 'a little help from our friends', our Heavenly Father WILL succor us; He has not left us alone!
Charles Haddon Shank
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