I'm in over my head and I need Help

Every day, people struggle with things like:
The bank just foreclosed on my house. The x-ray showed a spot on my lung. My child was killed by an impaired driver. I can’t afford to feed my family. My spouse left me for someone else. The place where I’ve worked for the last 20 years is closing its doors for good. Insurance will not cover the loss. The person that raped me is still out there.

People’s thoughts go something like:
I can’t handle this. It’s too much. I can’t cope with this. The pain is too, too great. I think I’m losing my mind. I’m in way over my head. Why? Why? Why?

1st Corinthians 10:13 reads, “No test or temptation that comes your way is different in nature or severity than what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He’ll never let your be pushed past your limit; He’ll always be there to show you the way out and to help you through it.”

That is an awesome verse. It’s an awesome reminder of God’s love for us. It’s a great reminder that our “Temptations” are not without purpose. It’s too bad then, that people have twisted this verse to mean something totally other than what it says. When it’s twisted, as people often do, it comes out saying that God will never give us more difficulty than we can bear, or more relational or emotional or physical pain than we can handle. They couldn’t be more wrong.

First of all, the verse is saying that God will not allow us to bE TEMPTED beyond what we can handle and that He will always give us a way out. We may not choose to escape from temptation but He will and does provide that option for us. When we have an opportunity to steal, God will give us a reason and a chance to not steal. When we’re tempted to gossip, God will make a way for us to stop. When we are tempted to judge someone as having less value and deserving less respect than someone created in the image of God deserves, God will remind us so we can change our point of view. When ever we are tempted to think or to act in a way that goes against the character of God, He will give us a chance to either choose to gain victory or defeat. That’s what the verse is saying.

The second and more important point is this. God can and does give us more than we can handle. He does it frequently and for a good purpose. The purpose is always to bring us out of ourselves and to Him. “We don’t need God,” is the rallying cry of the world. “I’m gonna do it my way,” is the deepest desire that we have. Well, God uses the consequences of doing it our way to show us that we do indeed need God. As the saying goes, “To what will you look to for help if not to something that is stronger than yourself.” Being in over our heads is how most of us came to be Saved / Born Again in the first place.

Once again, Paul gives us a hint at the true meaning in 2nd Corinthians 1:8-11 - “I don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally.”


This is what’s going on when we hear about jail-house conversions. Most people don’t believe in them but they are just an extreme example of what God longs to do with all of our difficulties. He uses tragedy to jerk our chain. He uses pain to show us that we’re on the wrong track. When an impaired driver kills someone, When a woman leaves her spouse because he’s violent with her, When someone loses a business because of gambling, When a man’s infidelity is exposed, all these and more are opportunities to changes one’s course in life. When our weakness is shown to us in the blinding light of reality, it’s time to pay attention. It’s time to turn around. It’s time to repent and give control of our lives to Jesus.

Rather than alter the meaning of 1st Cor. 10:13, those of us who have been granted salvation should say with Paul, “I rejoice in my difficulties, in my sickness, in my loss, in my tragedy, in the times when I’m in over my head, because “When I am weak, then I am strong.” When I’m at my wits end, when I’ve tried all my options, when all hope is lost, when I haven’t a clue what else to do, then, THEN I remember my God, my Creator and Saviour and Lord who will not spare anything, not even Himself to change me and shape me to conform me into the likeness of Jesus.

God is great and God is good. Amen.