"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
This is one of my top five favorite verses from the bible. Reading it in context caused the verse to have extra resonance with me. If you can, I recommend you committing some verses to memory, at least enough so that you can come across it and speak the words before they appear on the page/screen in your reading.
This verse is very powerful because it comes at the end of a summary of the unfaithfulness of many of the Israelites during the period of time covered in the Pentateuch. Paul even makes it a point to say that it was some of the Israelites who strayed, not all.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man
This statement can hurt a little, because it makes any situation you're in sound quite diminished. But that's the point. We like to bring our troubles to our neighbors, while they have just as many issues to deal with as we do. However, this statement is also there to help us, because we can then look for how other people dealt with our problems. We can consult our parents, grandparents, priests, teachers, friends, and so many other people.
But God is faithful
If you're struggling with a specific situation, you need to look no further than the bible. In 1 Corinthians 10, you can find the different temptations that came about. But, you can also see that God delivered the entire nation of Israel from destruction time and time again. Read Exodus to see one story of deliverance. Read Joshua for yet another story. Read Kings and Chronicles for so many more stories of deliverance. And, most definitely, read the gospels, any of the four: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. You'll understand that God has been faithful to us throughout all our troubles and tests.
[God] will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape
Here is our safeguard. Times are going to get tough, but they will never get impossible. Even at the point of death, God is there to save our soul, and when our time comes, God is in control. Our legacy will last as an example for all those who are struggling. The great thing about living as Christians is that we have one great escape: the church. We can go and refresh ourselves with prayers we pray or from those of our fellow Christians. We can talk to many more faithful people to learn about how great God is.
That you may be able to bear it
Here is an important distinction. It is one thing to have a way out of our problems. The easiest way out of any problem is just by doing nothing at all. We can stay in the comfort of our bed all day unto eternity, allowing our bodies to waste away, let away our minds, our dreams, our talents. But that's not what God wants. God is sending us out there into the world as sheep against wolves. God will guide us through all the difficult parts, but it will all be for our personal growth. This last clause implies that we weren't able to bear our challenges to begin with. What's the only way to bear a heavy weight? Get stronger! God is guiding us through our difficult times so that we can become stronger beings.
During this Lent, let God guide you through your discipline, whether it's giving up sweets, reading more of the bible, saying a prayer every once in a while, or even just to step foot in church just once this season. God is faithful, and will guide us through all of our trials.
