I'm not sure who first told me this, but I heard this ALOT through my life. With every turn, every heartbreak, every disappointment, and in those times I thought I might break! It was in those times that someone always offered those words "God will not give you more than you can bear".
The phrase has always been one offered up to comfort me, to soothe those wounds, and to somehow encourage me. But, what was always so hard was that I usually felt like I was sinking, and that it was way more than I could bear on my own! But that's just it! There is the key...we aren't supposed to BEAR it ALONE.
"No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 MSG)
This is why I think it's so important that we open ourselves up and share with others our testimony of what God has brought us through. Not only is the word of God relatable and very much a comfort in our time of trouble, but also is the comfort of friends and family.
God has also given us the most wonderful gift in the Holy Spirit. He grieves and pains for us when we are hurting. He intercedes on our behalf. Sometimes when we are hurting, we don't even have the words to pray. He is there to remind us of just what God has planned.
"It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life." (Ephesians 1:13-14 MSG)
There have been more times than I ever like to admit, that I hurt so deeply, I didn't know how to move forward. Those were times when I had endured a great loss and part of my identity had been stolen. Whether it was a relationship, a job, or my nursing license. These incidents, I think, taught me something greater than I could have ever imagined. My identity is not in who I'm with, what I do for a living, or where I'm going. My identity is in who I am in Christ. He used all these things to teach and show me that no matter what I lose, with HIM, I have everything to gain! He will never leave me! These times humbled me in so many ways and invoked a passion to share what I have learned! He is so good, whether you're in a valley, climbing what seems an impossible mountain, or you are on that mountain now, He is ALWAYS good!
So yes, He WILL give you more than you can bear, because He doesn't want YOU to bear it! Turn to him, lay it all at his feet, and let Him move. He may not move that mountain in our timing but he will move in our hearts while He is working!