Can Jesus really be enough when life feels overwhelming?

We live in what people call the "information age." Think about it—we carry around devices that give us access to virtually every piece of knowledge in human history. News alerts buzz constantly. We know about crises happening in places we couldn't even find on a map yesterday. One pastor friend jokes regularly that we now have "access to every single bad idea in human history, right in our pockets all the time."

Does anyone else feel overwhelmed by how much information we're supposed to process in a week?

Here's the uncomfortable truth: we have more information than ever before, but we don't necessarily have more wisdom. We can Google anything instantly, but that doesn't mean we know the best way to organize that information or use it in ways that honor God and serve others well.

The Hidden Driver Behind Our Search for Answers

There's something underneath our constant search for more information, more insights, more answers. It's our pride whispering that if we can know everything, maybe we don't need God to tell us anything. If we don't need Him, then He doesn't get to tell us how to live our lives.

But a few years ago, we all learned something important: it doesn't matter how much you know about germ theory if you can't get hand sanitizer to the people who need it. Knowledge alone doesn't solve everything.

A Strange Story from the Apostle Paul

In 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, we find one of the strangest passages in the Bible. The Apostle Paul—a missionary who planted churches throughout the ancient world—was writing to a church in Corinth, a city known for loose morals and lots of money (think Las Vegas or Amsterdam). After Paul left, some influencers came in and tried to undermine his leadership by claiming they had special spiritual insights and visions.

Paul's response? He says, "I know a man who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body, I don't know, God knows. And he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter."

Paul is being intentionally vague here. He's likely talking about himself, but he won't even claim it directly. He saw incredible spiritual realities—what he calls "the third heaven" or "paradise"—but he can't and won't describe them in detail.

Why? Because there are some things we can experience but not describe. There are things we can know but not say. And whether we like it or not there are things we simply cannot know.

Our Unknowing Reminds Us Who Is God

This might feel insulting in our information age, but it's actually a gift: our unknowing reminds us who is God.

If you could know everything God knows, you would be God. When we encounter things we don't understand, can't explain, or can't control, we're being reminded of a fundamental truth: we are not God, and that's actually good news.

If you operate in your world as though there's nothing you've never known—if your response to every new piece of information is "oh, I already knew that"—there's a dangerous expression of pride lurking underneath that. How do we know it's dangerous? Because Paul himself struggled with it.

He writes that God gave him "a thorn in the flesh"—some kind of ongoing difficulty or weakness—specifically to keep him from becoming conceited after his incredible spiritual experience. We don't know exactly what this thorn was (bad eyesight? chronic pain? haunting memories of persecuting Christians before his conversion?), but we know its purpose: to keep Paul humble and dependent on God.

When God Says "My Grace Is Sufficient"

What did Paul do with this thorn? The same thing we do when life gets hard—he asked God to take it away. Three times he pleaded with God to remove it.

But God's answer was unexpected: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God didn't remove the difficulty. Instead, He promised to be present in it.

This is where we hit something challenging: in a world clamoring for extraordinary insights, we are content with Jesus.

Notice that word: content. The advertisers don't want you to be content. They want you feeling like you're missing something, like their product will finally fix all your problems. But here's the truth—if last year’s model didn't fix your life, the next one won't either.

The Uncomfortable Question We Need to Ask

Here's the question we need to wrestle with, maybe with a trusted friend who knows us beyond surface level: What expectations are we putting on Jesus that actually put us in God's place?

Sometimes when we pray, we pray as if we're the Father telling Jesus what He needs to do for us to get the outcomes we want. We can know that Jesus is the only one who can answer our prayers while simultaneously putting our hope in our ability to pray well enough to get those prayers answered the way we want.

This isn't easy to sort through. Our hearts are deceptive. They can turn any godly endeavor into something self-serving. But we need to call it out and surrender it to Jesus.

When Jesus taught us to pray "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name" (Matthew 6:9), He was reminding us: You're not the one in heaven calling the shots. God is. Let His name be magnified, not yours.

God Permits Discomfort So We'll Depend on Him

You've probably heard the saying "God will never give you more than you can handle." But that's not quite right. The truth is this: God will give you more than you can handle so that you depend on Him.

If you could do life by yourself, you would—and God knows that. You were created for community with other people and with God Himself. If you've cut God out of your life, nothing on earth will satisfy, because you were designed to be in fellowship with Him.

Sometimes God allows difficult situations not because He's mean, but because He's drawing us back to the only place where we'll find what we truly need. Think of a hurricane—devastating winds and floods all around, but calm in the eye of the storm. God may not always calm the storm in your life, but He will hold you in the calm center of His presence.

Is Jesus Enough?

So here's the ultimate question: Are we content with Jesus's love and provision?

Is it enough that the Creator of the universe put on human skin, allowed Himself to be hungry and tired, submitted Himself to human parents (even though He literally knew everything), became a man in order to win people to Himself?

Is it enough that Jesus loves you and died to make things right between you and your Maker?

Is it enough that He's given you what you need for today, even when it feels less than what you wanted?

This isn't easy. The odds are if we’ve read this far we'll forget this blog by tomorrow. That's okay—we're human. But maybe there's a song that can help us remember. "Enough" by Elias Dummer puts it this way: "I am not what I make, I am who You have made me to be. Jesus, You are enough. With nothing, I have everything. Jesus, You're enough for me."

In a world that demands we know everything and be everything, may we find rest in this truth: Jesus is enough.

What expectations are you putting on Jesus that might actually be putting you in God's place? Take some time this week to reflect on this question, maybe with a trusted friend. And when you feel overwhelmed by all you don't know and can't control, let it remind you: you're not God, and that's very good news.