Raising An Ebenezer

For 55 years I have been singing the 2nd verse of Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing--

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by thy great help I've come--

This week I came across the word Ebenezer in Prayer by Richard Foster. After some investigating I found that in 2 Samuel 7:12, Samuel raised up a stone at Ebenezer. He called it Ebenezer and said, "Till now the Lord has helped us."

Samuel, a young judge and prophet came after Eli, who had lived the good life in Israel. Having grown old and fat, he failed to discipline his children who were now out of control. 1 Samuel 4 records Israel in battle against the Philistines. They didn't fare well. The elders of Israel had the "bright" idea of moving the Ark of the Covenant out of the Tabernacle out to the battlefield, using the very presence of God as something like a good luck charm. Eli's sons, wicked priests, without regard for God, brought the Ark to the battlefield. The Philistines heard about it and were afraid, but went into battle with Israel. Israel was routed and the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant. Eli's two sons were killed. A messenger took the news to Eli--"Your sons are dead." And the Ark of God has been taken. At the news of the capture of the Ark of God, Eli, fell over backward from his seat by the gate and broke his neck and died.

Samuel held this mess in his hands. The saga of the Ark being returned to Israel goes on through chapters 5, 6, & 7. After seven months it was taken to a temporary place for 20 years before David brought it back to Jerusalem.

All this, I tell, because Samuel stood up a rock to mark the remembrance of what God had done for them in bringing His dwelling place back into their own territory.

We all have Ebenezers. It's good to remember them. God told Israel, not to forget that they were slaves in Egypt and He brought them out. We all have places where God has moved, but they sink into memory and when the next difficulty comes may be hard to dredge up.

Record your Ebenezers.

Who Is This Man?

Who Is This Man?
A prisoner sat shackled before a group of high government officials. Their condescending attitudes mirrored amusement, amazement, and cruiosity tinged with tear. They gave him opportunity to speak for himself, then responded with their own opinions about him. In response he spoke, "I wish you were all like me, except for these stocks."

This man knew something about freedom that his judges did not know. He knew that liberty of the soul constitutes true freedom. When God shines His light into our hearts to reveal something He wants to change, He compares us to Himself--not others. If other people were the measure of our greatness, like water, we would all fall to the lowest level. By His grace that we do not.