On Him We Have Set Our Hope

Recently, I have been struggling in many ways, trying to come to terms with some situations and trying to find a balance between trusting God and stepping out in faith. I have a tendency to rely too much on my own strength and not enough on His perfect strength. Right now, I am realizing that I am powerless to do much of anything. I want to help a friend, but I don’t know what to do other than pray, and I don’t think I can do that much. As a person who likes to have my life under control, that is a big issue. I have struggled with questioning God, asking why He would let this happen, and why He would put someone through so much pain.
He has promised in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (NIV).
We tend to interpret this verse as saying that God will not allow more suffering than we can bear. But that’s not what Paul is saying. I read a devotional about this verse, and the author pointed out that the verse does not say that God will never give us more than we can bear. In contrast, 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 says, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many” (NIV, emphasis mine).
God will often allow trials that are far beyond what we, as mere human beings, can bear. That’s the whole point! He puts the trials in our lives to force us to realize that we can’t handle them, and we have nowhere else to turn but to Him, “that we might not rely on ourselves but on God” (verse 9). When we do that, we set our hope on Him and Him alone, realizing that we are completely dependent on Him. When trials and suffering threaten to overwhelm you, maybe God is trying to tell you that you need to turn to Him. When you do, a great weight is lifted, and you can rest in the knowledge that He is in control, and He can handle any situation that comes His way.