My Ebenezer Stone

Posted on by Rob Singleton

In First Samuel 7:11-12 there is a familiar scene to the Old Testament—Israel is routing their enemies. In this instance it is the Philistines who are routed for the umteenth time. Here’s the text,

“11And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. 12Then Samuel(N) took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen[a] and called its name Ebenezer;[b] for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.”

Ebenezer means, “stone of help.” By setting up this marker of stone, Samuel was saying, “God has always been there for us!” This is important to remember. Simple? Yes. But vital nonetheless.

Let’s face it, life happens. Tough times come to all of us. And when they do, it’s very tempting to think that God, like Elvis, has left the building.

 

  • Loss of a job
  • Marriage on the rocks
  • People against you unfairly
  • Someone you love is hurting

 

That’s when an Ebenezer stone really helps. Feelings are slippery. They vacillate from happy to sad, angry to glad, depressed to joyful, insecure to peaceful and everything in-between. That’s why life lived on pure feelings is referred to as an emotional rollercoaster. But an “Ebenezer Stone” reminds us that God is solid. He never fails. His timing is always perfect. And He always does what’s right. Even if our own feelings are telling us He might not care.

For me, over the years my Ebenezer Stone has been my Quiet Time journaling. I’ve been keeping these things for over 30 years. And a part of what I do in these quiet times with God is to write down the prayer requests and praises God lays upon my heart. Over the years some things have emerged consistently.

 

  • God has never let me down.
  • God’s timing is always perfect.
  • God always does what’s best.
  • God finishes what He starts.
  • God is not mocked.
  • God always answers prayer (not always the way I thought best—but always ‘best’ nonetheless.

 

So, from time to time I return to previous journals and look to see if perhaps the Almighty, Omniscient, God of the Universe has changed.

Nope.

He’s still the Rock.

I’m convinced that we all need an Ebenezer Stone to go back to from time to time in order to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness and never-ending love for us.

What’s your Ebenezer stone?