God does give us more than we can bear

October 6, 2026

In times of stress or sadness I have heard people say, “God does not give us more than we can bear”. While this is well meaning, I am not sure if it is true.

At times people have quoted to me a paraphrse of 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT. It says, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Notice the context, it is talking about temptation to sin, not suffering. He is saying when tempted, He will provide a way for us not to sin.

I know in my own life I have experienced many times of pain, suffering, depression, anxiety, stress, family illness or death of a loved one, that I thought were way too much for me to bear.

In these times I had to look to God and pray, “Lord help me”. I cried out with all of my heart and asked Him to ease the pain of the situation. Sometimes He did…and sometimes He helped me to get through.

The reality of this life is that suffering is a part of life. And God allows pain and suffering to grow us in our faith and trust in Him. I know my relationship with Him would not be the same if I did not go through what I have been through.

James 1:2-4 NLT Tells us plainly when it says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. [3] For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. [4] So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

For our faith to grow and for us to come to maturity, we need some sort of testing to stretch us and allow growth to take place. As hard as this is, it might include pain, suffering, depression, anxiety, or some other struggle.

So, does God give us more than we can bear? Yes He does at times. But it is for our growth and to bring us closer to Him. The key is to run towards God in hard times, not away from Him. He will give us more than we can bear alone, but never more than we can bear with Him.

Praising God in the storms of life

October 2, 2026

This is one of my favourite songs of all time. It reminds me in the hard seasons of life that God is always with me. Listening to the voice of truth in times of suffering is so important.

If you are going through a hard time at the moment, I would encourage you to look to the God who loves you and is there for you. He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5b).

Digging your own wells

September 29, 2026

Many years ago one of my Pastors gave me some great advice. Looking back some thirty years later he could not have been more right.

He told me I had to “dig my own wells”. By this he was talking about I need to do my own work in growing my relationship with God.

He said that many people rely on their Pastor (or Priest) to feed them on a Sunday from the Bible in their sermon or to pray for them after the service. This is important but cannot replace daily Bible reading and prayer.

He then pointed out an elderly lady in our church who had been reading the Bible daily and praying for almost 70 years. Her faith was a strong as anyone I had ever met. She exuded faith and hope.

This advice from my Pastor was one of the main reasons why I have read the Bible and prayed daily for 38+ years.

Some times it has been a short prayer like the Lord’s Prayer and meditating on one Bible verse as I worked. At others it has been praying all night or spending a whole day in the Bible preparing a sermon. Both of these dig wells.

So today I would encourage you with the great words of my Pastor all those years ago, “You have to dig your own wells”.

Suggestions to help you start digging…

1. If you are new to the Bible I would encourage you to download the Bible app. Read the verse of the day and see how many days in a row you can do it. Take some time to reflect on it each day.

2. If you are new to prayer pray the Lord’s prayer several times a day. Maybe when you wake up and when you go to bed? You could also try my morning prayer routine.

PS. Today’s verse of the day is quite fitting.

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.4.23.NLT