May 9, 2022
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There's something about the Olympics that's just larger than life, and there are those images of past Olympic performances we'll never forget. One of those happened in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Derek Redmond was representing Great Britain in the 400-meter event. Unfortunately, he went down on the backstretch with a torn right hamstring. And the medical attendants started to approach him, but he managed to fight his way to his feet. Maybe you remember seeing this. He set out hopping around the track, desperately trying to finish the race. When he reached the stretch, a large man in a T-shirt came out of the stands, and literally threw aside a security guard, and ran to the injured runner, and hugged him. It was Jim Redmond, Derek's father. Derek was weeping in excruciating pain, and his Dad said, "Derek, you don't have to do this." To which Derek said, "Yes, I do." And Jim Redmond said, "OK then, we're going to finish this together!" And they did. They had to fight off security men. The son's head was sometimes buried on his father's shoulder. But they stayed in Derek's lane all the way to the end - as the crowd stood and cheered and even wept.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "How You Can Make It The Rest Of The Way."
The other day I got one of those phone calls that make you feel like you've been kicked in the stomach. A good friend called to tell us that his teenage son had died from injuries that he had received in a traffic accident. He asked me to speak at the funeral where, by the grace of God, some of his son's friends actually gave their hearts to Christ.
Five minutes before my friend called, I'd been reading in Isaiah 46. In light of the devastating blow that had just hit that family, I had to share Isaiah 46:3-4 with my friend. They are our word for today from the Word of God. "...I have upheld [you] since you were conceived, and have carried you since your birth...I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Through all the pain of the funeral and its aftermath, I watched this Heavenly Father come down to the field where my friends were in so much pain, and keep His promise to sustain them.
It may be that right now you're struggling to finish. You were running OK, but now you're hurting, you're limping, you're wounded, maybe disillusioned. You're burning out, you're wearing out, and you feel like dropping out. You look down the track at the ground you've still got to cover, and you wonder if you can possibly make it feeling like this. It hurts so bad, you're so depleted, and it's tempting to give up your calling, or your marriage, your commitment, your loved one, your dream.
But someone very strong has left the stands to join you on the field. He's your Heavenly Father who loves you passionately and unconditionally. And His arm is around you. God the Father is hugging His wounded child. After all, He did say, He is a "very present help in time of trouble" (Psalm 46:1). He knows you can't finish the race alone. Listen to Him as He says, "My child, we're going to finish this together."
But you literally may not have the strength or the spirit to even walk another step. That's why His promise is so precious, "I have made you and I will carry you." When a child can walk no further, what does he say, "Daddy, carry me." That's what God's waiting for you to say. That worn out child can go farther and faster in his father's arms than he could ever go on his own feet. So can you - in your Heavenly Father's arms.
You can finish the race you started, not with your resources, but because your Almighty Father is saying, "We're going to finish this together!"