[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 17/October/2021]
In 1 Samuel 7 we read how the Philistines, who were long standing enemies of the Israelites, came to attack Israel. Samuel called out to God for help and God threw the Philistines into such a panic that the Israelites were able to defeat them. Verse 12 says: “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”.
The word Ebenezer means ‘Stone of Help’ and I was particularly struck by the phrase “Thus far has the LORD helped us”. There is a very old hymn called ‘Come thou fount of every blessing’ which contains the words: “Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thine help I’ve come. And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.”
This got me thinking: ‘How can we raise our Ebenezer, or stone of help, to remind us of times when God has helped us?’ One way is to keep a prayer journal, recording prayers and answers. Unfortunately I lack the discipline to keep this up. Sharing our stories with others will also help build up both their faith and ours. I remember more than 50 years ago my father told me of an inner voice prompting him to make a phone call which most unexpectedly led to a job offer with a 33% pay rise. This was some time after my parents had made the sacrificial decision to start tithing.
Perhaps there is some object we can use to remind us of a time we have experienced God’s provision, as the Israelites used the Stone of Help. Alternatively, we could have a number of small cards and write on each a few words, reminding us of times when God has helped us. I decided to follow the last of these suggestions, jotting down things on cards as they occurred to me, for example:
1996 – provision of the perfect part time job, before I even started looking for one.
1999 – 2 nights a month respite starting just after Michael’s diabetes diagnosis, when it was most needed.”
The hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ has a verse which echoes these thoughts:
“Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come.
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home”
.
Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.
Bible dates:
Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.
Horley Baptist Church onlineHBC main site
Confidential prayer link
Return to Sunday Reflections
Jump to Index of Bible Passages
Contributed by Helen Ruffhead; © the Author
