Trust God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself.

Today's Precious Prodigal's Post = http://bit.ly/1ZGO4AO Like what you see? Please "Like" & "Share" with your online friends. Want to read more? Go To: preciousprodigal.com

Today's Precious Prodigal's Post = http://bit.ly/1ZGO4AO

Title: Letters to Susan Part 19:

Trust God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself.

‪#‎YesYouCan‬, ‪#‎LettersToSusan

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Deut 1:31 “And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went.”

Part of this post is my response to a devastated parent who emailed me asking how she could help her prodigal.

(Note: Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the people involved.)

Dear Susan:

Loving a prodigal isn’t exactly a walk in the park, is it? If you’re like me, walking this path may feel much more like a marathon…and a marathon in the wilderness at that. As I was thinking that very thing early this morning, I was reminded of a wonderful story I heard about “Team Hoyt.”

In 1962, when Dick and Judy Hoyt gave birth to their son, Rick, they didn’t have a clue about the challenges they were going to face. You see, there were complications with the delivery, and Rick was paralyzed at birth because of oxygen deprivation. Instead of putting their child in an institution, Dick and Judy took their baby home and included him in everything they did.

When Rick was 12, he wanted to participate in a race that would benefit an athlete, who had recently been paralyzed. Of course, Rick couldn’t walk, much less run. So he asked his Dad to run the race with him. Dick agreed, and he ran and pushed Rick’s wheelchair the entire way.

When they returned home, Rick told his Dad that it felt like his disability disappeared when he was running. That was the beginning of “Team Hoyt.” It was the first race they completed, but it was far from the last. They’ve run nearly 1,200 races together, and they are still running. What a beautiful example of a father’s love! And what an amazing picture of the way God loves you and me.

The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness, and every day was a hardship and a challenge. In the first chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses was reminding them of all the wonderful things God had done for them. One of the things he reminded them of was how God had carried them in that wilderness the way “a man carries his son.” (Deut 1:31)

My friends Sandra and Ronnie Cheatwood lost their only son when he was struck and killed by a drunk driver. There were weeks and months of soul-wrenching grief, and I can’t even imagine the devastation in their lives that began with a middle of the night knock on the door. Both of them struggled with trying to understand why their son, whose life goal was to be a medical missionary, had been taken from them.

Sandra was barely able to function on even the most basic level. She told me that she finally asked God, “Where are You? You promised You would never forsake me! But You’re not here, and my son is gone!” She says the Holy Spirit gently touched her broken heart and whispered, “Who do you think gives you the strength to get out of bed each day?”

Like Sandra, like the Israelites, like me, you’re going to have days when you think, “I just can’t do this anymore.” And you’re probably right. You can’t. But God can, and He will do for you what you cannot do for yourself. You may not be able to see God’s hand any more than Rick Hoyt could see his Dad pushing that wheelchair. But He’s there. And He’s carrying you whether you realize it or not.

I can understand why Rick said he felt like his disability disappeared. He was flying like the wind! He had no strength within himself to do it, but he trusted his father to do what he could not. No wonder the motto on the “Team Hoyt” website is, “Yes, you can!”

Challenge for Today: What might happen if we, just for today, remembered that God will carry us with all the tenderness of a man carrying his son?