Ebenezer

One of my favorite hymns since my freshman year is "Come Thou Fount". At various points in my life, different parts of that song have really stood out to me. A comment from a friend made me start thinking about my Ebenezers today, naturally bringing to mind the line "Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I've come." How often we sing that, but do we actually DO that? In order to do it, we must understand what an Ebenezer is.

The word "Ebenezer" comes from Hebrew and is actually two words pronounced together: "Even Ezer." It literally means: "Stone of Help." It's referenced in the Bible in 1 Samuel 7:12: "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel; the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. "

Perhaps you've looked up this information in the past, as I did my freshman year, but stopped there, as I did my freshman year. But God has a way of showing us the things we miss the first time. What I missed the first time was why it was an important thing for Samuel to do and glean any practical application in my own life. I thought "Aha, so that's what the hymn is referring to. That's cool, how awesome of Samuel." And went along singing the song as always, with a tad bit more insight. Why did Samuel raise his Ebenezer? To serve as a reminder of the Lord's faithfulness, provision, and providence. But of course, the Isrealites were notorious for forgetting things. They complained, worshipped idols, went their own way. We see that in Samuel's farewell speech in chapter 12. Samuel concludes by encouraging us to remember what great things the Lord has done: "But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you." That is the whole purpose of an Ebenezer.

A similar passage is found in Joshua 4 after the crossing of the Jordan: "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' 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."

God is GREAT! He provides us with everything we need. We should have things that symbolize the Lord's provision in our life. We should raise our Ebenezers, daily cry out "Thus far the Lord has helped me!" So let's all go out and get some stones and build our Ebenezers! Well, not necessarily, that's just a ritual, it's not the stones themselves that mean anything, it's the heart, the meaning, the motivation behind the object. It's about the story. But the point is, we should actively be taking note of the great things God is doing in our lives. We all have a story, we should be ready to share it! Sometimes it's hard to see what God is up to; sometimes we don't see it until years down the road; many times we never see the full scope of God's actions. But everyday God helps us, and we must remember that! One way to do that is to keep a journal.

But at this point, I begin to think "Hmm, Samuel didn't build Ebenezers after each battle. God surely helped them all the time. So, is an Ebenezer only for significant events? Is it only for the conclusion of some important era?" At this point, yes Betsy, I'm thinking WAY too much. But my conclusion is that we should have both daily Ebenezers and milestone Ebenezers. We should always be able to tell someone about the great things the Lord is doing in our lives. And we should also be ready to point them to those big milestones, those turning points. Those times where we were on our knees, face down in the dirt, with no hope of our own merit, and the Lord in His grace helped us. We achieved more than we could have dreamed because it was the Lord's power at work in us. Trouble is that I don't know how to symbolize that. I think concrete reminders have more meaning than conceptual visuals, but what would a modern-day Ebenezer look like?

We need something that might cause someone to ask us "What does that _____ mean?" To which we can reply with a story pointing all glory to God. If I were an artist, I'd paint a picture of these turning points. If I didn't "really suck at playing the guitar" (those were the lyrics to the first song I ever wrote by the way, gee, I wonder why I'm no John Mayer right now...), I'd write it in a song. If I remembered much rhetoric, I'd elaborate my stories into classical novels. But I'm a computer programmer. I create visualizations and administrate systems. I guess the closest thing I can get to an Ebenezer is a blog post.

That said, I'm at a point in my life right now where I want to raise my Ebenezer. I remember so vividly a time in February where all I could do was plead for God's help, giving Him my future and my life in a way I never had before. I had been trying to carve out my own future, and I was going nowhere. I realized that there were all these things in my life that I had built for myself as safety cushions, such that I would feel in control of my life. I came to a point where God made me realize in new ways that this life is about HIM, not me. My future is about serving HIM, not being comfortable. It's about finding JOY in HIS blessings, not creating happiness with my own desires. Oh, how many lessons I had to learn, and how excruciatingly tough they were (as Rev K can affirm). But the Lord has renewed my hope, restored my joy, uplifted my spirit, and granted me strength to follow and trust Him. As I move into the next chapter of life, knowing only that my God is before me, I want to say "Hither by Thy help I've come". I am where I am, I have gotten to this point, only because the Lord has prepared me for this time and place; He has helped me get here; He deserves all the glory. I realize that these comments are rather vague, but I can say with confidence that the Lord is faithful. And when all is said and done "I hope by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home."

What's interesting about this hymn is that it wasn't until June of this year on a camping trip that I learned there was a 4th verse:

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

Oh what a promise! How glorious it will be when we are freed from sinning, standing face to face with our Creator, cleansed by His blood, singing of His grace. I love the imagery of a ransomed souls; Christ paid the ultimate price for our souls. What a small sacrifice for us to give Him what is already His: our lives, our future, our faith.