“So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
Be careful what you hear. Be careful what you believe. Like this. That God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. I can attest from plenty of personal experience He gives us more than we can handle. Way more than we can handle. But who cares about me, right? Okay, let’s look at the Bible. Did God give His only begotten Son Jesus more than He could handle on the cross? Did He give Moses more than he could handle in delivering the Israelites from bondage in Egypt? Or David more than he could handle in fighting Goliath? Or Jonah more than he could handle in preaching to his people’s enemy? Or the apostle Paul more than he could handle in prison? Or in all his ministry work, for that matter? Or Ruth more than she could handle in all her losses? Or Elijah more than he could handle as a prophet? Need more examples God gives us more than we can handle? Check out the Bible from start to finish. Or, look in the mirror at your own life. Ever felt like God’s given you more than you can handle? Maybe even right now?
God absolutely DOES give us more than we can handle – by ourselves. In our own human flesh. In our own human weakness. Without Him. Apart from Him. Minus Him. But He teaches us, and shows us, and demonstrates to us, and proves to us, that we CAN HANDLE whatever He gives us WHEN we are Christ’s followers, when we are diligent and devoted and obedient in our relationship with Him, when we press into Him, and stay near to Him, and humble ourselves before Him, and seek the baptism, and subsequent fillings of His Holy Spirit, when we listen for His directions and take them, when we have access by His Spirit to His power and strength and equipping, to all we need in fact, when we delve daily into His Word and live by it, when we repent when we need to repent, when we cry out for mercy and pour our hearts out to Him, when we shout out to Him, help me, help me, when we know and tell Him we need Him, when we yield ourselves utterly to Him, then it is we CAN HANDLE whatever He gives us, not by our strength, not by our might, but by HIS SPIRIT through HIS WORD for His ultimate and magnificent glory.
See the verse above from long, long ago? Does it not speak to your heart of what the Lord wants from us? That we would live by His Spirit, empowered by Him, strengthened by Him, not by our human inability and infirmity, but by His magnificent strength. Oh, praise Him!