“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Till now the Lord has helped us.’” – 1 Samuel 7:12
Ebenezer means “Stone of Help”. Why would Samuel set up and name a stone right after God’s miraculous intervention to not only protect Israel from surprise attack, but turn that attack into a crushing defeat for the Philistines? Because we have short memories!
We can quickly move from a mountaintop high rejoicing God’s visible work in our lives to a valley low in which we feel like we’re all alone day after day. We spend most of our lives in the valley and our thoughts can quickly move from “God is great” to “woe is me.” Thus we see leaders throughout the Old Testament setting up monuments to remind the people of God’s faithfulness, power, presence, and promises.
What do we have to help us in the valley? What helps us remember God’s steadfast faithfulness and love during difficult times like the present? The cross should certainly be an Ebenezer for all who follow Jesus. There is no greater symbol of God’s faithfulness, love, mercy, kindness, righteousness, justice, and grace than the cross on which Jesus died for our sins.
But do you also have a personal Ebenezer? What memories, pictures, stories, or monuments help you remember God’s faithfulness in difficult times? It’s good to rehearse and remember God’s faithfulness in our lives, because dark seasons eventually come that can lead to doubt. It’s then that we need an Ebenezer. What in your past could serve as your personal reminder of God’s tender care for you?