Will God Give You More Than You Can Handle?

# 396 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 30:9,10, “So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor. (1 Sam 30:9,10) The picture I get here is first of all one of hot pursuit. Having received the green light from God and the promise of victory David and his men head off at full speed. About 200 of the troops began to fall behind, after all they have been on the march for three days prior to the chase. Since this is hilly country, I imagine the brook was a little wild at this time of the year and would require a great deal of energy to cross it. In fact the word Besor comes from a root word that means to “boil up.” This was likely a powerful fast moving stream. Well, the first 400 troops arrive at the rapids and have to wait for the stragglers, and the stragglers just didn't have the strength to cross the brook. So it was decided to leave them behind and they could watch the supplies that also had to be left behind. You have heard it said perhaps that God will never give you more than you can handle. Well guess what. These 200 men at the Brook of Behor were given more than they could handle. They simply could not go on! As much as we’d like to think that God will never give us more than we can handle, it’s actually critical that we learn the opposite is true. If God is only giving you what you can handle, you'll never learn to be dependent on God. If God is only giving you what YOU can handle, then you are staying in your comfort zone. If God is only giving what YOU can handle, then you are not growing. When we get to the point where we admit we can't handle it, we arrive at a place where the Apostle Paul camped. We read in 2 Cor 12:9,10, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Our strongest spiritual moments come when we are fully dependent upon God. Father, help me to learn to look to You for my strength.