Is It True that God Never Gives Us More than We Can Handle?

       “God will never give us more than we can handle.” How many times have we heard (or said) this phrase? Likely enough that some may wrongly assume it appears somewhere in the Bible. But is it a true statement? 

       I suspect the assumption that this idea appears in the Bible is based on 1 Cor. 10:13, which says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who 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.”
While this may seem to be a similar idea, the verse is distinctly talking about temptation, while the phrase we are discussing most often seems to be applied in a more general sense. The context also sheds additional light on Paul’s intended message: he precedes this verse by listing some of the sins the nation of Israel committed in the Old Testament, such as worshiping idols, constantly complaining, and other ways of trying God’s patience. He then makes the statement in the verse above. Even if we were to set aside the fact that this has to do with temptations rather than general trials, it seems to me that his main point is not about how much God will allow them to be tempted, but rather, that their temptations are not unusually difficult or burdensome, and are not greater than what others had faced. 

Returning to our main topic, the phrase “God will not give us more than we can handle” likely, in most cases, will be taken to mean that God will not allow us to go through trials, or to suffer, beyond what we can endure, based on our individual tolerance. Perhaps the verse from 1 Corinthians does not say this exactly, but isn’t it something we can conclude based on God’s goodness? If God is good and wants what is best for us, how could He want us to be pushed beyond our breaking point? 

To answer this, we must begin by considering what it actually might mean to be burdened with something that is “beyond what we are able to handle.” If something is more than we can handle, does it mean it would result in our death? This seems to be the most logical definition, since, if death were not considered “more than we can handle”, nothing lesser could be either. But clearly this is not the case, since many Christians have gone through trials and suffering that did result in their death, and God let it happen.  

       What, then, does “more than we can handle” actually mean? I would like to suggest that such a thing does not exist. It can’t, unless God has limitations, because God’s presence and sustenance will always be sufficient for whatever we may face. I don’t believe God closely manages our level of difficulties and trials, choosing a harder life for those who can handle more and going easy on those who can’t handle much. It is not that God limits our difficulties to a particular level, but rather, that nothing could be “more than we can handle” with His help. 

       This does not, of course, mean that nothing will be difficult. In fact, it means that we can be certain we will face many terribly difficult situations. And the fact that God has promised to be with us through these trials does not mean we won’t experience despair, exhaustion, and sorrow at times, or in extreme cases, even death. We should never make anyone feel as if we’re downplaying the severity of their trials by telling them it’s all okay because God is with them. We will not always be “okay”, but that isn’t the point of this life anyway. Our mission is to serve God, and sometimes this will involve suffering.  

Further, if it were true that God prevents each of us from enduring trials beyond our ability to manage, it would mean that God refrains from pushing us toward greater levels of strength and dependence on Him. If we never face anything beyond our current ability, this assumes that our current ability is fixed and can never increase. Does God merely coddle us instead of pushing us outside of our comfort zone? Doesn’t it make much more sense that God would prefer that we face things that seem to be beyond our ability to handle, in order that we may grow more in strength, character, and our reliance on Him? 

So, in the end, rather than saying God will not give us more than we can handle, I think we ought instead to say that there is nothing we cannot handle knowing that God is with us and that the purpose of our lives is not personal happiness or fulfillment, but to give our lives for the sake of God’s will for us. And we ought to be willing to suffer through anything as long as it brings Him glory and helps us become more refined and mature.