ebenezer...

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of
God; he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.
—Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

So I went to the Robbie Seay Band at our church last night, and they sang a version of the old hymn "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and the line "here I raise mine Ebenezer"
got me thinking...what/who is Ebenezer?? Thanks to Google I found this blog, and its awesome description of the Ebenezer stone....

"Samuel took a large stone and
placed it between the towns of
Mizpah and Jeshanah.
He named it
Ebenezer—"the stone of help"—
for he said,
"Up to this point the Lord
has helped us!"
—1 Samuel 7:12, NLT


"After a long period of sadness and trouble, a consequence of Israel's disobedience, Israel repented under the leadership of a new priest and judge, Samuel. God restored their political security, and the people, for their part, re-committed their hearts and minds to
their Lord. Samuel placed a large stone at the place where this restoration began. He publicly dedicated it as a monument to God's help, God's faithfulness, God's eternal covenant. And as the people got on with their lives, the stone stood there, visible to all who passed that way, a reminder of judgment and repentance, mercy and restoration. The Ebenezer stone represented a fresh beginning, a reversal of course for God's people. It also said something important about God: his mercies are everlasting; his covenant is forever...

Samuel was a wise and godly man with a good idea. He recognized something that's true about human nature—we're forgetful. At Ebenezer, Israel could stand next to that big old rock and remind themselves, 'Yes, we serve a living and faithful God, whose mercies are everlasting.'"

- Charles Lehardy

Do I have an Ebenezer stone in my life? Do I have something I can look at to be reminded that God is faithful? That I'm not who I was?

Paul talks about this in Phillipians:
" I'm not saying that I have this all together,
that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back." (Phillipians 3:12-14 the Message)

Charles Lehardy talks about a prayer journal being an Ebenezer stone...a journal that you write your requests to God, and then record His answers...a written record of God's faithfulness.

hmmm. I wonder if a blog can count as a journal...