Ebenezer (no, not Scrooge...)

There is an old hymn that I love, but unfortunately, like many familiar songs, I often go over the words without understanding what they really mean. Verse two of "Come Thou Fount" is one of those parts that I often sing without really worshiping.

"Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I've come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood"

What exactly is an Ebenezer, and why does the person who wrote this song want to raise one? They were for sure not talking about Charles Dickens or A Christmas Carol. And definitely not referring to cold hearts, traditions, or even Christmas at all.

Instead, the reference is to Samuel, the Israelites, and the Philistines. Yes, from the Bible...

The story is recorded in 1 Samuel 7. The Israelites were in the hands of the Philistines (their enemies) because of their own mistake, and the Lord had raised up a prophet - Samuel - to deliver them. The people of God repented of their idolatry, determined to serve the Lord only, and Samuel offered a sacrifice to Yahweh.

"He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.¹⁰ While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car."

The Lord always responds to the worship of His people. One of His names in the Bible is DEFENDER (but that's a topic for a different post!) and He responded in this instance by wiping out Israel's enemies. 

So what did Samuel do? "¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the Lord helped us.' ¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again."

There it is - Ebenezer. And it's meaning is the second line of that verse in "Come Thou Fount" - Hither by Thy help I've come. Or, as Samuel said, "Thus far has the Lord helped us."

The Ebenezer stone was to serve as a reminder of the works of the Lord and His faithfulness. Abraham did something similar throughout his life; every time he had a significant experience with God, he built an altar in that place and worshiped there. Or it's like the story in Joshua 4 where, after crossing the Jordan, the people were told to take 12 stones (1 for each tribe of Israel) from the river, and build an altar on the other side. The reason? "In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

There should be times in our lives where we "raise our Ebenezer" and remember with gratefulness what God has done for us. And those times should happen often! Times like Christmas and Easter are natural seasons to reflect on the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, but we need more than that in our everyday, personal lives. We need to develop a culture in our own spiritual lives and families where we celebrate how the Lord has provided, protected, guided, spoken, comforted, equipped, encouraged. 

So...what is your Ebenezer? What do you use as a reminder for yourself, a testimony for others, or as a symbol for the next generation, of what God has done in your life? Are you building "altars" in your life - places of remembrance, places of celebration, places of significance?

It's not about "spiritual photography" and trying to preserve memories, emotions, or experiences. The Christian life isn't about trying to live from one high to the next! But we are going from "strength to strength" and are called to keep our gaze focused straight ahead; and at the same time there are moments where we need to look back, to remember where we came from and what God has taken us through. 

For me, one practical way of celebrating and remembering is by journaling. Each week, I try to read through my journal of that point in time the year before, and it is always amazing to be reminded of what the Lord taught me, the decisions I was faced with, how God provided, etc. It's often easy to forget that it's "by Thy help I've come."

Another idea my husband and I are beginning (inspired by Pinterest) is this "Remembrance Jar":

We have an empty jar that we will fill throughout the year with notes about good things that happen, funny moments, etc., and on New Year's Eve we'll empty it and look back on 2013, praising God! 

Another simple way to honor God for what He's done in your life is by telling others about it! The power of giving testimony is often underestimated in Christian circles, but do you realize that it's one of the ways we overcome the enemy (Rev. 12:11)?! We proclaim God's acts before a "cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12) and that confirms to us what took place, and at the same time asks God to do it again in the lives of others. If He can provide for me, He can provide for you. If He healed me, He can heal you!

And one more practical way that my husband and I try to be intentional in is the discipline of giving. When we are generous with our money (whether it be tithing to our church, helping out a friend in need, or sponsoring a child through Compassion),we are reminding ourselves that God has blessed us so richly, and as an act of faith that He will continue to provide, we raise the "Ebenezer" of our wallets and say "Thus far has the Lord helped us."


So where has the Lord helped you? What markings can you set up, what traditions can you develop or have you developed that help you celebrate and remember the help of the Lord?

I'd love if you shared your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below!