God may give you more than you can handle. Your situation may hurt, seem hopeless, and be devastating. But in the midst of our worst moments God promises that in our weakness He is strong, becoming our source of strength against impossible odds and circumstances. Because of God, we can say it is well.
1. Has anyone ever told you, or have you ever told someone, that “God won’t give you more than you can handle?” Have you ever questioned that advice? Has that advice helped or hindered your faith?
2. Why do you think people assume that faith in God will remove adversity from life? Have you ever made that assumption? If so, how did it influence your relationship with God?
3. Talk about a time when you or someone you knew faced difficult circumstances and God was silent. How did that experience affect your faith in the short term? How did it affect your faith in the long term?
4. Is it difficult for you to accept that challenging circumstances can come from the hand of a loving God? Why or why not?
5. Read 2 Corinthians 12:7–10. What would it look like for you to “delight in weakness” for the sake of Jesus? How would it change the way you respond to adversity?
6. Has there been a time that you have hit rock bottom and found God there? If willing, please share.
7. Have you ever felt yourself relying more on God in times of pain and struggle? Did you feel that he carried you through even though he didn’t correct the pain and the struggles?
APPLICATION
Whatever your circumstances, bring them to God. Pray about them, write them down, trust God, and keep moving forward. Trust that God is big enough to do anything and loving enough to do what is best.
