Suffering has been a source of much learning for me lately. Not that I'm necessarily suffering myself, but conversations, books, and verses on this topic continue to pop up. They keep revealing to me the purpose of our pain and trials in the grander scheme of things.
People often say that God will never give us more than we can bear. They quote a verse to go with their statement.
But it's a verse that gets misquoted.
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. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. -1 Corinthians 10:13
Yes, it says God will not give you more than you can handle. But it's talking about temptation, not suffering.
Does that mean some suffering bestowed upon us will be more than we can deal with? I don't know. I'm still out to lunch on this one. I think of people who have lived their whole lives with painful and crippling diseases that only progressively worsen, or mothers who lose their husbands and children in one day to a car accident.
How can one possibly bear up under such painful suffering?
Maybe some suffering is more than we can handle. And maybe God allows that. Because under such circumstances we are forced to depend on Him, and through our brokenness He is glorified.
4 comments:
I have wondered that myself? It is misquoted, and I myself have misquoted. I still do it even though I know this is not quite what it says. I think it still holds true. If we are given too much suffering we will be tempted to not believe that God is with us or looking for our best interest. God doesn't let this temptation become more than we can bear as long as we are leaning on him. At least thats what I think.
That is a good point. It's easy to forget that temptation doesn't always look obvious, like gossip or drinking or swearing.
So what about the person who is fully leaning on and believing God, but the suffering continues to come?
Well just because we lean on and believe in God does not mean we are not going to suffer. To a certain extent we are meant to suffer, and go through tough times. It is part of how God teaches us.
Romans 5:3-5 says "Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
Also Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 "16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
I like that light affliction. So someone dying of cancer has a light affliction? I believe he what he Paul is saying, is that suffering down here in the short time we are on earth, is worth the greater glory we are going to achieve.
I must admit this was from our study in "Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel. It is amazing what you learn when you have to teach.
I'm reading "When God Weeps" right now, which is where a lot of my suffering ponderings have stemmed from. I have a lot more to write on the topic, but it's not ready for paper yet.
Ultimately, it all points back to God's glory. Somehow, in some way, our worst trials and deepest pains have the potential to bring the greatest glory to His name. It's way beyond our human comprehension, because from down here, it sure doesn't look or feel very glorious.
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