Recently I had to go into Clatterbridge Hospital for what is called "Operative treatment". The surgeon who was looking after me and for whom I have nothing but praise, described to me what he thought he would have to do. It did not sound very pleasant and he asked me for my opinion. I suggested that I would be happy to leave everything in his hands, to which he immediately replied, "I think it would be better if you left it in the hands of God". I assured him that I did. To this he replied by saying "You know God helps those who help themselves".
Reflecting on this brief conversation with the surgeon I thought, God helps those who help themselves, it sounds alright, but is it true? I came to the conclusion that the emphasis of the Bible is that God helps those who can't help themselves. Let me give one typical example from the new Testament. Here it is, "It is by Gods unmerited favour that you are saved through your faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God". There is nothing I can do to merit Gods favour, no amount of effort on my part, it is not of yourselves, I might as well try to lift myself by my own shoelaces as to try and bring myself into a right relationship with God. This tremendous miracle is something that can only be performed by God and he offers it to us as a gift through his son.
As I continued thinking, I felt that this is a principle that operates in every walk of life. "I can't but God can". How often have some of us found ourselves at "wit's end corner", when we didn't know how we were going to overcome the difficulty, or solve the problem, or make the right decision and almost instinctively turned to God and he did for us what seemed an impossibility?
To go back to the surgeon, it was necessary for me to cooperate with him if he was going to do for me what he felt was necessary. So with God, if he is going to do for me what I cannot do for myself, then it is essential that they allow him to do his work in me. All I need to do is ask. Don't forget, although you can't, God can.