During this season of Lent think a lot about wilderness. The forty days of Lent parallel the forty days that Jesus spent being tested in the wilderness and the forty years that the Hebrew people spent in the wilderness after being liberated from slavery in Egypt, but before entering the Promised Land. In his letter to Church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul uses the story of the wilderness wandering of the Hebrews in order to make a very interesting point to his contemporary Christians.

Like many Christians in our day, some Corinthians seemed to believe that because of their baptism and faith in Jesus Christ, they were completely free from the law and were thus able to do whatever they wanted without fear, guilt, or consequence. Now, Paul is usually all about the freedom of the Christian and how in Christ Jesus we are no longer under the curse of the law. But in this case, Paul thinks the Corinthians have taken the idea of Christian freedom too far, and he thinks they needed some correction.

So Paul draws a very interesting connection between his contemporary Christians and those early Hebrew wilderness wanderers. Paul tells the Corinthians that they had better beware of Christian arrogance. They had better beware of thinking that they are in a new age and that none of the old rules apply to them. They had better learn from the lessons of the past instead of thinking they are a rule unto themselves.

Looking back at the story of the Exodus, Paul notices that the escaping Hebrews were led by a pillar of cloud to their freedom, and that they found their freedom by passing through the waters of the Red Sea. This is an established part of the faith. No one would question it. But the way Paul interprets these events is shocking. He claims that those ancient Hebrews were actually baptized in Jesus Christ. The waters of the Red Sea, the spirit of the cloud — that was baptism through water and the Spirit, just as much so as the baptism that we practice today. It’s a bit shocking for us to think about, that people who lived more than a thousand years before the birth of Jesus were actually baptized into Christ Jesus.

But Paul doesn’t stop there. He goes on to point out that when the Hebrews were in the wilderness, they were fed with holy food, that is, with manna from heaven. And they also drank holy drink. When they were thirsty, Moses struck a rock with his staff, and water came gushing out. Paul says that rock was Jesus Christ. Spiritual bread in manna, spiritual drink in water from the rock — that was the sacrament of Holy Communion, Paul says. Again, this is shocking to think that centuries before Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, Hebrews in the wilderness were practicing it. So, Paul says to those Corinthian Christians, you don’t have anything over people in the past. Yes, you have salvation in Christ Jesus. But, Paul asserts, so did the ancient Hebrews. They had salvation in Christ Jesus. They had baptism. They had communion. Don’t think that you are any better than they are.

And Paul draws the comparison out further. Even though the Hebrews in the wilderness had salvation in Christ Jesus, they still fell. Some of them succumbed to idolatry when they worshiped the golden calf. Some of them engaged in sexual immorality. Some put God to the test. Some spent too much time complaining. They fell. And just like they fell, despite the fact that they had all the advantages that we have, we too can fall. The fact that they fell short of the glory of God should be a lesson and a warning to us that becoming a Christian does not automatically make you perfect. It is a warning against Christian arrogance. It is a reminder that we will all find ourselves tested at times.

So if you think you are standing, says Paul, watch out that you do not fall. Just like everyone else in the world, you will be tested. Just like the Hebrews in the wilderness, just like Jesus in his forty days in the wilderness, we too will be tested. In that sense, we aren’t special. We have to live our lives, with all of the ups and downs, just like everybody else.

But, Paul tells us, there is reason for hope. Yes, we will all be tested, we will all endure some hardship and suffering, but God is faithful. God will not let us be tested beyond our strength.

Now, those are interesting words. They have been words of great comfort to many, and they have also been words of great angst. When you are in the midst of real hardship, real suffering, real testing, real pain, is it comforting to hear that God will not give you more than you can bear, or is it aggravating? Does it just seem like God is saying, chin up, it’s not so bad, remember, I’d never give you more than you can handle, so what are you complaining about?

More than once, I have been with people who are in terrible pain, and they’ve said, “I know God never gives us more than we can handle, but I just don’t know. I’m trying to be strong, but I just don’t know.” Sometimes remembering that God won’t give us more than we can handle is just the reminder that we need, just enough hope in our time of doubt to carry us through.

But other times these words can be downright destructive. Sometimes these words discourage us from expressing our feelings of pain and doubt. We become embarrassed to admit that we feel like we have been given too much to bear. We get forced into an unhealthy silence that denies our situation and our struggle. Sometimes it even discourages us from seeking help, because we think we should be able to handle these things on our own.

That’s why Paul’s next words are so important. With the testing God will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. God does not ask us for quiet, obedient suffering. God does not ask us to endure whatever befalls us without question. Along with the testing God will provide the way out. This is particularly important to people in abusive situations. God is not asking you to suffer in silence; God will help you find a way out. God will provide people who can help you, and it is no shame at all to ask for help when you need it. Providing help is part of God’s plan for you.

There’s an old story about a man whose town was being flooded. As the waters were coming toward his house, he prayed to God, saying, “I know that you are faithful and you will save me.” A car came by and the driver said, “You’ve got to get out of here. Do you need a ride?” “No,” said the man, “God will save me.” The waters came higher and as the man went up to the second story of his house, the first floor flooded. He prayed, “God, I know you will save me.” A boat came by, and they told him, “You’ve got to get out of here. Get in the boat.” “No,” the man said, “God will save me.” The waters got even higher. Pretty soon, the man had a climb out on the roof. He prayed, “God, I know you will save me.” A helicopter came by, and the megaphone projected, “You’ve got to get out of here. Climb up the ladder.” “No, said the man, “God will save me,” and he waived the helicopter off. The water continued to rise, and the man prayed again, “God, I have faith, I know that you will save.” The water continued to rise, and the man was drowned. When he came before God he was upset and confused. “God, I was a good and faithful man, why didn’t you save me?” God answered, “I sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter — what more did you want?”

God never promised us that our lives would be free from all suffering and hardship. What God does promises is that no matter what situation we find ourselves in, God will be with us. God will stand with us, and God will guide us to the help that we need. We don’t have to suffer alone. God is with us. Thanks be to God.