Here I Raise My Ebenezer

(You don't KNOW how many times I sat down to work on this blog post this week! The last few days have been crazy-busy, so despite my best efforts, it is now Wednesday as I post this, rather than Monday… hopefully next week will be better!)

I love the soulful melody of the hymn "Come Thou Fount". This hymn was written in the 1700's by Robert Robinson, and has recently been making a comeback in many churches. Its lyrics offer a heartfelt, honest expression to God of our relationship with him. It humbly offers the confession that our hearts are prone to wander, yet pleas for God to "tune my heart to sing thy grace". And in the middle of this poem, there's a powerful sentence that gives us the "key" to living victoriously by faith, coded in a reference to an Old Testament word that few have heard much less understand.

He says

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.

Have you ever wondered what an Ebenezer is? Ebenezer is actually a PLACE where God gave a great victory to the Israelites, but the song refers to a specific stone that was erected. Ebenezer means "stone of the help". In 1 Samuel 7:14 we're told "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, 'Till now the LORD has helped us.'"

For a little context, the Israelites had found themselves in such a jam with their enemies the Philistines that they'd finally realized they needed God's help (what a novel concept!). After begging God, repenting of sin, and asking Samuel to plead on their behalf to God, they found themselves rescued in a dramatic way. Verse 10 says that "…the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel" (1 Samuel 7:10 ESV). Lest they forget what God had done for them, Samuel erected the stone to remind them in a very visible way.

I know some of you have some great long-term memory, but I think human nature is truly prone to short-term memory, especially when it involves lessons God has taught us. If you doubt, just read the book of Exodus, or any of the "First and Second" books in the Old Testament (1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, etc.). The Israelites would humble themselves, bow, worship God, destroy their idols, repent in sack-cloth and ashes, and in the next chapter they'd be back to worshipping idols again. God knew that, and has found many ways to help us remember things that are important. Sometimes it's through repetition, other times through instruction, but very often through visible and tangible reminders.

Think of all the celebrations God established for the Israelites – each one was a vivid picture of one or more aspects of their relationship to God – they were celebrated annually as a reminder. Passover, while also a picture of the coming Sacrifice, was a vivid reminder of His powerful rescue from the Egyptians. I mean, after all of those amazing plagues and the angel of death, how could they EVER forget THAT rescue? And yet they did – even with God's annual Passover reminder.

In Joshua, we read that after they had crossed the Jordan, Joshua ordered them to set up twelve conspicuous stones. Joshua 4:6,7 tells us why: "When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' 7 then you shall tell them… So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever." From one generation to the next, they were challenged to pass on these lessons and the great acts of their rescuer to the children, lest they forget and serve other gods. Not that they would EVER forget and serve other gods… oh wait, they did.

But of course you and I would NEVER forget what God has done and turn to sin or disbelief! Of COURSE not! Oh wait… we do.

For our context in this blog, let's think about this: How do we learn to trust God? We KNOW those promises God has provided, but so often we struggle to live like they're true. I smile as I think about the patience God has with us: Like training a toddler, He so gently and graciously provides us with so many Ebenezers: tangible evidences of his promise keeping. Then the next time around, he is able to use that Ebenezer as a foundation for our next lesson. Pause for a moment: Has God ever kept a promise to you before in a recognizable way? He keeps his promises whether you recognize them or not, but think about the ones he's given you the privilege of witnessing.

For me, my favorite Ebenezer is my dog, Molly. When I first accepted the calling to be a CEF Missionary in Klamath Falls, I was daring to trust that it truly was his calling, but not so sure. From the time I was 16, when I met a cute long-haired dachshund named Olly, I had prayed for one of my own. By 2006 I was living in an apartment that wouldn't even allow pets if I wanted one. However, the day I announced my decision to move to Klamath Falls in faith (and thus, move out of the apartment!), I was given not an Olly, but a Molly – also a long-haired dachshund. She has now been with me through thick and thin, (she even decided that "we" were marrying Duane!). Now, if I ever doubt my calling, or wonder what in the world I'm doing in ministry (and believe me, that has been a daily occurrence at times), all I have to do is glance at the wagging tail that reminds me that GOD called me here, and by his strength I will remain. She's my "stone of help", my reminder that "Till now the Lord has helped [me]."

Sometimes those Ebenezers are traumatic or intense times in our lives. I remember one particular traumatic experience for me, when I couldn't imagine life going on because of how intense it was. As my friend encouraged me to embrace that opportunity for growth, I DID. I clung to his promises of faithfulness, his presence, and of growth, and I survived. And now, as other trials come, I again look back to that Ebenezer, and recognize that if God kept his promises to me in that time, he will keep his promises to me now.

If you struggle to trust his promises (don't we all?), stop right now, look back, and see the times that He HAS kept His promises. Maybe even pick out a rock. Or a plaque. Or a journal. Or set up an annual celebration or anniversary. Or some other tangible reminder. Put your Ebenezer on display where you can see it, and be reminded frequently of how he HAS kept his promises, and plead with him to help you continue to trust him.

In my own words, and with no poetic premise, that song at the beginning might go something like this:

I dedicate this tangible reminder, my Ebenezer, to you, God. Let it be a reminder of the help you've provided and the promises you've kept thus far. I've only come THIS far by your grace, and your provision. And by your grace, you will continue to provide and keep your promises til my earthly life is over. Please use this Ebenezer to strengthen my faith so I don't just survive until then, but THRIVE, trusting you.

Amen.