Ebeneezers

Ebeneezer - a commemoration of divine assistance.

"Here I raise mine Ebeneezer; hither by thy help I'm come."

We need Ebeneezers.  We need to hold on to them and we need to recognize them when they happen.

They are milestones.  Markers of divine providence.  Tangible memory aids to let us never forget what the Lord has done for us.  What He has brought us through.  

Biblically, Ebeneezers are literally “stones of help.”  They come from 1 Samuel 7, where Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, following the Israelite victory over the Philistines, naming the place Ebeneezer and saying “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”  From then on, every time an Israelite saw the stone erected by Samuel, they had a tangible reminder of the Lord’s power and protection.

It’s important to make and keep these and to recognize them as they appear.  To also recognize when the Lord reminds us of His faithfulness.

Today in church, I felt one such reminder.  All of the songs today really spoke to the Lord’s help through every situation, but we came in particular to Here Again by Elevation Worship.  The song speaks to being in the middle of the storm, but knowing the Lord is with you.  Recognizing that we are not enough on our own, unless the Lord meets us here.

Then we came to the bridge.

“Not for a minute

Was I forsaken”

And that hit me in a very unexpected way.  I’m glad I was not singing backup this morning, as it was a bit tough to keep my composure.

Because it’s true.  Not for a minute in all of this have I been forsaken.  Not in the minute where I was fired.  Not in the minutes in having to explain why in an interview.  Not in the minute the emails come back with a form rejection for various positions.  Not in the minute where a recruiter turns out to be more interested in selling a service.  Not in all the minutes in between.

But, paradoxically, we serve a savior who was forsaken, so that we would never be.  We serve a savior who took on our sins, so that we would bear them no more.   We serve a savior who felt his Father turning his back on him, so that we could be welcomed into His presence.

It's a reminder that I needed this morning.  A reminder that whatever doubt may say, there has never been a moment God has not been in control.  Never been a moment He has not cared for me.  

A bridge to serve as a figurative Ebeneezer for me.  And one I can never sing the same way again.  

"Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."