But with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
I have always read this to mean, there’s an escape hatch. Most of us probably have as well. But look at the last phrase, that you may be able to escape it? Endure it. How many prefer escaping? Me too. I am done with that trial, movin’ on!
How do you escape the Chicago marathon? You could walk off the road but that hardly sounds like a victory. Once you’ve started the marathon, there’s really only one escape: the finish line. To help someone escape the marathon would mean you help them to persevere and finish.
The misreading of this verse can be very discouraging because many of the struggles we face are ongoing. The son who walks away from the faith. The diagnosis of a disease which will be with us till we die. A painful loss or memory which can never be changed. How do you “escape” these devastating circumstances?
We escape them by enduring them, and we endure them by faith resources God provides.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
© 2010 Steve DeWitt. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include Bethel’s web site address (http://www.bethelweb.org/) on the copied resource.
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