When God Allows More On You Than You Can Bear-Part 3

When trouble strikes we must draw near to our heavenly Father to receive the promised comfort of supernatural breakthrough. 
2 Corinthians 1:5-7 " For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation."

In most English translations of the Bible the word consolation is the same as comfort. So God knows how you feel and has compassion on you when He allows more on you than it seems humanly possible to bear. When trouble overwhelms you, don’t let it warp your view of God’s loving character. Terrible trials don’t mean that God has forsaken you, or that your troubles come directly from His hand. There are plenty of other sources for trouble in this fallen world: 

-Spiritual enemies in places we cannot humanly deal with.

-The attacks of others that we cannot control or contain.

-Our own foolish or sinful choices.



Yes, God often spares us from trouble; but He sometimes allows us to suffer, and perhaps even suffer greatly. Whatever the source of our trials, God extends comfort to his redeemed children even when he allows trouble to correct a sinful, stubborn attitude in us. Divine discipline comes from a loving Father and it is always for our good. And, as we confess and forsake sin, comfort follows. Comfort includes the idea of consolation and encouragement. Like the most loving parent, your Father in heaven will be there to comfort you when you need him the most, even when it seems He allows more than you are capable of handling.

Proverbs 3:5, 6 " Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

When God Allows More On You Than You Can Bear-Part 2

The reason God allows you and I to experience times that we are consumed by trials, when they are bigger than our own strength can handle, is so that we have nowhere else to turn except towards Him. We are faced with one solution and that is we realize Christ is our only hope!

 

After Paul wrote that his trial was bigger than his ability to endure, he offers an explanation. 

2 Corinthians 1:9 "Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead..."

He recognized in this overwhelming time of trouble, that he couldn’t handle it alone, and it caused him to focus more on the power of God and allow God to work His perfect will in his life.

 

-Paul personified  the word endurance.

2 Corinthians 11:24-28 "Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;  In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches."

This passage speaks of the difficult things that Paul had to endure. It all adds up to a pressure and pain far beyond our human capacity to handle alone. It is clear that Paul believed that even faithful Christians were not immune to severe trials and proved it because he went through them. 

2 Timothy 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

That’s the bad news, but the good news is that there is every reason for breakthrough even in the very face of severe trials because we are not alone. Paul was realistic. He knew that if we follow Christ for any length of time we will surely experience some form of suffering. But he was not pessimistic. Mixed in with the words listed above is another word he repeats 5 times:

Verses 3, 4 "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

The Greek word used here is paraklésis, which means "a calling to one's aid,  encouragement, comfort..."

-There may be trouble, but there is also “comfort.” 

-There may be suffering, but there is also “comfort.” 

-There may be distress or hardships, but there is also “comfort.” 

Paul had every reason to encourage the Corinthians because he knew that whatever troubles came their way, God’s comfort would be more than sufficient.

 When life’s difficulties seem unbearable God’s grace and comfort will be equal to your need. His presence will bear you up and his supernatural help will be sufficient. Our hardships may be quite different from Paul’s, but we can certainly identify with him when we face seemingly overwhelming trials in this fallen world. God hasn’t promised us an easy path, but he has promised to be with us. 

Paul not only encourages the Corinthians with the promise of available comfort, but he also provides a plan for handling whatever suffering may come their way. It is a plan that is appropriate for any believer in the throes of difficult times.



When God Allows More On You Than You Can Bear-Part 1

2 Corinthians 1:8, 9 "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.  Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead..."

How many times has someone said to you, “God will never put more on you than you can bear”? The problem with this statement is that it keeps so many believers wondering why they can’t handle their problems because when they get overwhelmed. Surely God would not put more on them than they could handle. Yet, sometimes it happens and we wonder why God has brought this upon us.

 

We do have the promise that you will not be “tempted beyond what you can bear” in 1 Corinthians 10:13, but we need to understand what that verse is saying.  It reads, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

It says that God will not allow Satan to bring temptation, or enticement to sin, into our life that is too much for us to say no to it. When we are tempted to sin, God will make a way for us to resist it. That is because He wants us to live holy, just as Christ who calls us is holy. It does not imply that ptoblems bigger than we can handle personally will not affect us because they will. It doens't make you a sinner or backslider if you are overwhelemed, just human-a human dependent on God.

Paul said that "we were burdened beyond measure, beyond strength, so that we despaired even of life." In other words he was at the breaking point and could go no further without Divine favor. He needed a breakthrough.

  

Throughout the Bible God often allowed more trials and pressure than His children could bear. 

 

-Elijah, the powerful prophet who prayed that God would send the rain had a time when the trial must have been bigger than his ability to handle it.  

1 Kings 19:1-3 "And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there."

-The Psalmist said in Psalm 69:1, 2 " Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me."

He couldn’t see clearly, because he was overwhelmed with the storms of life! 

 

-Jehoshaphat, because he was facing an attack from the combined military forces of Moab, Ammon, and others who had joined with them,  prayed in 2 Chronicles 20:12:

"O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee."

 

So there are times when God allows more troubles in your life than you can deal with, even though that goes against the grain of what everyone normally says. In fact we've turned a powerful scripture into a myth to explain problems we can't handle. The fact is sometimes life throws more at us than we can handle, at least more than we can handle alone. 

Be Still-Part 1

Psalm 46:10a “Be still, and know that I am God…”

Many attribute Moses to be the writer of this Psalm or song. To grasp this concept you must picture Moses on the safe side of the Red Sea with the enemies destroyed, writing and singing the 46th Psalm. 

The Israelites had just crossed the Red Sea. The waters had parted for them and had returned to drown the pursuing Egyptian armies after God's people had crossed. Can you imagine the joy in the heart of the leader, Moses, upon this marvelous deliverance?  Many scholars say that then he then wrote the 46th through 49th Psalm. 

These Psalms or songs were for the sons of Korah and were to be sung in public services. In fact, this beautiful song was sung every year on the anniversary of the crossing of the Red Sea. It was also sung upon the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, which was on the exact date of the crossing of the Red Sea, just as the crucifixion of Christ was on the same day as the Passover. This Psalm or song reveals to us that whenever it seems all hope is lost, that God can handle, in His will and in His own good time and way, things which seem like total disasters to us.

This Psalm is also descriptive of another time in Israel’s history during Hezekiah’s lifetime. The story of the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib, Hezekiah’s prayer, and Jerusalem’s deliverance is revealed totally in 2 Kings 18 and 19. But let me read just this part to you to show you how this Psalm has application here. This is God speaking back to King Hezekiah after he has prayer and called upon the Lord while Jerusalem was under siege by over 185,000 men.

2 Kings 19:32-35 “ Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”




Many times a person has searched for the will of God in their life. They have ambitions, goals, and dreams, yet their question to God is “What am I to do with my life?” yes, God does have a plan for each Life, but sometimes we are simply to be still and know that God will reveal His plan at the right time.
 It is at that time many problems arise, delays come, or detour signs appear that seem to keep us from doing and being what God wants us to be. We worry how we’re going to accomplish our goals with all the junk and trouble that surrounds us. But just Like Moses and Israel at the Red Sea we have to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Just like Hezekiah when we are helpless, God specializes in miracles when we give whatever to Him.


The first phrase of Verse 10 is important. It is about the hardest thing a person can do. We are prone to talk, to defend ourselves, to justify our failures, and to condone our defeats. But the Psalm is clear, "Be still and know I am God.”

Be Still-Part 2

Be still and know Him as the river-Verses 4-7 “There is a river, the shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

This is how I know it had application to Hezekiah. Hezekiah had planned ahead of time. The spring of Gihon, located below the steep eastern hill of Ophel in the deep Kidron Valley, Jerusalem’s most ancient water supply, was exposed to enemy attack. Hezekiah diverted the spring through a conduit, 1777 feet long and hewn out of a solid rock, into a reservoir inside the city’s walls. He then completely covered the ancient spring so that the enemy would not know it was there. Throughout the fearful siege of the Assyrian army there was "a river, the streams whereof made glad the city of God."


-God has revealed Himself as the water of life in the midst of his people in three ways:


a. In the Old Testament God the Father was a Fountain of Living Waters.


Jeremiah 2:13 "My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters." 


b. In the New Testament God the Son was a Well of Living Water.


John 4:13-14 "But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."


c. Again, in the New Testament God the Holy Spirit was a River of Living Water.

John 7:38 "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." 

Each one is deeper than the previous. We’ve got more than Old Testament saints or the contemporary saints of Jesus’ day. It’s more than a fountain or a well, it is a constant flowing river.



Be Still-Part 4

-Be still and know Him as the Ruler. 

Verses 8-11 “Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah."

a. The Call to Behold. Look at how God sent ONE ANGEL to destroy the Assyrian Army.


b. The Call to Believe-"Be Still and know that I am God".


-Believe in God’s Person.
We can’t know God like we should if we are rushing here and there. One of Satan’s traps is to get us so involved in activity that we have no time to be still in the presence of God.


Psalm 23:2 "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…"


-Believe in God’s Plan. 

Verse 10 declares, "I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." 

God is going to win. He is determined to bring glory to Himself in our circumstances.


-Believe in God’s Presence. 

Verse 11 "The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge."


The Mighty God who commands all the Angels of Heaven is with us. The God of Jacob is our Refuge. Yes, the God who met Jacob when he had nothing and deserved nothing; who met Jacob in his backslidings and failures; and who took Jacob and made Israel.

Be Still-Part 3

The word translated “be still” comes from the Hebrew term raphah. This word is found in various forms in the Old Testament, with different shades of meaning. It refers to that which is slack, or to let drop, or in some instances, to be disheartened or weak. When used of a person it often has a negative connotation. Interestingly, “be weak” is the phrase being used here. Instead of condemning Moses is simply saying, “Be quiet and let God be God and let Him do His work.” 

In 2 Kings 19:19 Hezekiah readily admits he is powerless when he prays, “Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.”
 

Activity is no sure sign of progress. In fact, Jesus commended Mary because she sat quietly at His feet, and He condemned Martha because she was too busy.
"And know" is the greatest revelation that can come to any soul. Sometimes God requires us to wait before we work, sit before we serve, and know before we can teach. When God declares, "That I am God", He is simply saying, “I am whatever you need when you need it the most.”


There are 3 parts to this song and each part is a different way to know God. 



A. Be still and know Him as the Refuge-Verses 1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.”




- He is a personal refuge-Verse 1"God is our refuge"


a. Nations find refuge in battalions and battleships.


b. Lost men find refuge in positions and possessions
.

c. Battalions can be defeated.


d. Battleships can be sunk.

e. Positions can be taken away.

f. Possessions can be lost.


Yet "God" (Elohim) is our refuge. Elohim is the word for the Triune God so the enemy will have to go thru all Three to get us.


-He is a powerful Refuge-Verse 1 says "a very present help in trouble."


a. "Trouble" literally means "in tight places."


b. "Present help" means right now
.

c. "Very" means "speedily". I thought, "How can you be better than present which means "right now"? Well, God has no problem with time because you can see it does not say "in the time of trouble." God has the help already there before the trouble arises.

-A permanent Refuge. Verses 2 and 3 give us four "Thoughs" illustrating that even if the whole world is destroyed, when all the noise subsides and all the dust settles, he will still be standing because God is his refuge.



“Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.”