God Won’t Give Me More Than I Can Handle
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the full sermon here.
Preached by Pastor Mike Woodard
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At The Valley Church in Lawrence, Kansas, we’re concluding our series The Bible Doesn’t Say That, where we’ve been debunking common myths about Christianity. One of the most popular sayings is, “God won’t give me more than I can handle.” While it sounds encouraging, it’s actually not true—and Scripture shows us why.
When Life Feels Too Heavy
We’ve all had seasons where the weight feels unbearable—stress at work, a health crisis, broken relationships, or overwhelming grief. In those moments, it’s easy to believe God should only give us “small buckets” of problems. But in reality, life often feels like carrying a bucket overflowing with rocks.
And yet, that’s not to crush us. God allows more than we can handle so that He can step in and say, “Let me help you carry this.”
1. God Gives Us Comfort
In 2 Corinthians 1:3–4, Paul calls God “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” The Greek word here, paraklésis, means more than just comfort—it’s encouragement, strength, and the ability to come alongside others in their struggles.
When God comforts us, it’s not just for our benefit. He equips us to comfort others who are suffering. Comfort becomes contagious, overflowing from Christ to us, and from us to those around us.
2. God Builds Endurance
In 2 Corinthians 1:6–7, Paul shows that suffering produces endurance. The word literally means “to remain under.” It’s not passive endurance like sitting in a dentist’s chair, but active endurance like a marathon runner pressing forward toward a goal.
When life gets heavy, God uses the struggle to strengthen us, to develop a faith-filled perseverance that keeps us moving forward, even when the load feels unbearable.
3. God Deepens Our Dependence
Paul makes it clear in 2 Corinthians 1:8–9: “We were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength…so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God.”
Struggles bring clarity. They reveal our limits and remind us that we were never meant to carry everything alone. God shifts our trust from ourselves to Him. Dependence on God isn’t weakness—it’s the very thing that gives us strength to endure.
More Than We Can Handle, But Never More Than He Can
So, does God give us more than we can handle? Absolutely. But not to punish us or break us. He does it so we can experience His comfort, grow in endurance, and deepen our dependence on Him.
If you feel overwhelmed today, take heart: what’s too heavy for you is never too heavy for God. He is faithful to come alongside you, strengthen you, and carry the weight you cannot bear.