What is your Ebenezer?
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.” – I Samuel 7:12
Throughout the Old Testament, one recurring theme is God's
deep desire for His people to remember His faithfulness. When the Israelites
forgot what God had done for them—delivering them from Egypt, providing manna
in the wilderness, defeating their enemies—God was not pleased.
This forgetfulness often led them to idolatry, disobedience,
and spiritual drift, breaking the covenant relationship He had established with
them. Just weeks after God parted the Red Sea and gave them the Ten
Commandments, the Israelites built a golden calf to worship. God’s anger burned
against them because they had so quickly forgotten His power and presence.
When Samuel raised that stone and named it “Ebenezer,”
meaning “stone of help,” he was marking a moment in Israel’s history when God
had intervened powerfully helping them defeat a very difficult enemy - the Philistines. It was a physical symbol of divine faithfulness.
Ebenezer, as described in 1 Samuel 7:12, is far more than a
stone—it is a declaration of remembrance.
It says: I will not forget the prayers answered, the battles won, the
grace extended when I least deserved it. It is a refusal to let the memory of
God’s goodness fade in the face of future uncertainty.
To say “Ebenezer” is to resist spiritual amnesia. It’s a way of telling your soul, Remember who brought you through the storm. Remember who stood with you in the valley. Remember who lifted you when you were too weak to stand. It’s a monument to mercy and grace.
Raising your Ebenezer is an act of defiance
against fear. It says, “I have seen the goodness of the Lord. I will not
forget.” For Samuel, Ebenezer is a testimony to God's enduring presence and help in times of trouble. It symbolized a turning point—a renewed covenant and a fresh start under God's guidance.
It is not just about looking back—it’s about anchoring
forward. When I face new battles, I return to those stones. I remember that I
am not alone. That the same God who brought me through yesterday is walking
with me today. That hope is not wishful thinking—it is rooted in history, in
testimony, in truth.
Remembering God’s past goodness helps us face uncertainty with courage, knowing He hasn’t failed us before and won’t start now. Like Samuel, we need to remember because:
1.
Remembering Fuels Trust
When we recall how God has provided, protected, and guided
us in the past, it strengthens our confidence in Him for the future. Faith
isn’t blind—it’s built on evidence. Remembering God’s past goodness helps us
face uncertainty with courage, knowing He hasn’t failed us before and won’t
start now.
2.
Remembering Shapes Identity
When we forget God’s faithfulness, we forget who we are:
chosen, loved, redeemed. Remembering reminds us that we are part of a bigger
story—a story of grace, mercy, and purpose. It keeps us from defining ourselves
by our failures or fears and instead roots us in divine promise.
3.
Remembering Inspires Obedience
Gratitude is a powerful motivator. When we remember how God
has loved us, we are moved to respond with love, obedience, and service.
Faithfulness becomes less about duty and more about devotion. We live rightly
not to earn His favor, but because we’ve already received it.
4. Remembering Guards Against Drift
Spiritual forgetfulness leads to spiritual wandering. The
Israelites often fell into idolatry and rebellion because they forgot what God
had done.
5.
Remembering Builds Testimony
When we remember, we don’t just strengthen our own faith—we encourage others. Our stories of God’s faithfulness become Ebenezers for the community. They say, “If God did it for me, He can do it for you.” Memory becomes ministry.
Today, I want to ask you: What is your Ebenezer? Where in your life can you say, “Thus far the Lord has helped me”? What moment, memory, or marker reminds you that God has been your help? If you’re in a season where you can’t see it yet—hold on. Your Ebenezer may be just ahead. God is still writing your story.
I have had so many battles, so many storms but God has never left me or forsaken me. God may get quiet but he's always with me he wants me to quiet my spirit and sit and realize I Am The Great I Am.
ReplyDeleteI look back at my life journey and God has never not been with me. I am currently in a David and Goliath theme and God is coming through very slowly but I need to fully trust him with everything because he's not going to allow anything to happen to me. He allows the storms of my life to grow me up to dig in to deepen my faith. I know for a fact if I was to write a book name it out of the tunnel of Darkness I would touch many people. I'm excited to see what God is going to do in my life.