This post is a part of my series of once weekly devotionals called Faith for Thought. Bookmark the homepage for Faith for Thought here to return to it for the weekly update on Thursday!
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John 6:1-13
1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
John 6:1-13, NIV
Devotion
In the last year or so, I’ve known different people who have had stillborn babies, who have lost parents, and who have been diagnosed with terminal illness.
Although seemingly less devastating, I’ve known people who have lost jobs unexpectedly, who have faced financial struggles, and who have dealt with mental illness.
And in the face of any of these such difficulties, I’ve heard it said before in Christian circles: God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.
But tell that to someone who is facing one of those difficulties. Do they really feel like they can “handle it”?
The issue with thinking that God won’t give you more than you can handle implies that you need to be stronger in order to handle whatever He is throwing at you.
But is that really what God is trying to teach you in the face of difficulties? That you need to just reach deeper inside of yourself and handle it?
Quite the opposite, actually.
In the story above, Jesus’ disciples were facing a challenge that they could not handle alone: They were expected to provide food for five thousand people. They had only five small loaves and two fish.
But Jesus did not turn away, expecting them to “handle” the problem.
Instead, He provided what they needed, and — the best part — there was more than enough. There were leftovers.
When God gives us more than we can handle, He gives us the strength we need to handle it. That strength is not found within ourselves, but in Jesus. And, again, the best part is that God will provide us with even more than we need, so that we even have strength left over.
Take Action
Look up Isaiah 41:10 and memorize it. When you or someone else is facing something difficult, resist the temptation to think that God doesn’t give people more than they can handle.
Instead, remember that your strength comes from the Lord — enough even to have some left over.
