Ebenezer
Happy New Year!
The annual turn of the calendar is not only a cue that a new year awaits. It’s also an occasion to remember what the past year offered.
As I pondered that this last week, the words of an old hymn came to mind. “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” was written way back in 1758 by Robert Robinson. Are you familiar with it? If not, you can listen to it HERE.
The first verse goes…
Come thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
The lyric is readily understandable. It calls me to worship the Lord fully and freely in light of all that He has done for me.
The second verse, however, is more enigmatic. So much so that many modern hymnals have changed the words. But the original lyrics have deep meaning. They say…
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
What in the world is an Ebenezer, and why am I to raise it?
The source of this concept is found in I Samuel 7. Beginning in vs. 10, the text reads:
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. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
The King James Version renders that last line, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” And it’s that version that prompted Robinson’s lyric, Hither by thy help I’ve come.
The point is that Samuel wanted to not only remind the children of Israel of what God had done for them, but also to remind them that the One who did it before can do it again.
As such it wasn’t only a commemoration of God’s faithfulness, it was a declaration of faith. The God who got us here will get us there and the God who did this will do that.
Here I Raise My Ebenezer
How might you raise an Ebenezer here at the turning of the year? How might you mark this moment of recognition of all God has done for you?
In many ways, my journal is my Ebenezer. It is a written testament to God’s faithfulness. Each entry is like a stone of remembrance in my altar of praise. By going back and reading what I wrote, I am encouraged, and my hope is renewed. The same God who brought me this far will see me safely home.
For one friend, their “altar” consists of a jar of small stones. Every time God showed Himself strong, they added a stone. And the filled jar testifies to His goodness.
For you, it might be a photograph or a special Bible verse that you frame and hang on the wall.
The “thing” isn’t the thing. The point is to pause and reflect. To consider all the ways the Lord came through for you in 2024. Those occasions when you felt helpless…or despairing…or in dire straits. And how now, with 20/20 hindsight, you can look back and say… “Hither by thy help I’ve come.”
You won’t lack for similar points of struggle in the months to co me. Indeed, they might be even more severe.
Yet, in looking back at your Ebenezer, you can be confident that the One who got you through those difficulties will get you through the ones ahead. And, ultimately, the Lord of Hosts will see you home.
The Everyday Pastor Blog is brought to you by our partners.
To support Dave DeSelm Ministries by becoming a partner, CLICK HERE.