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Reflections - Called Its Name Ebenezer
R E F L E C T I O N S
Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith
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"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." - I Sam. 7:12
If you drive up our driveway in the winter you might notice a strange mound of snow off to one side. When the snow melts you will see a mound of stones. Jo and I erected this pile of stones when we first moved into our home. In the Bible, such a mound of stones is called an Ebenezer, which literally means in Hebrew "mound of help" or "stone of help". These were built by God's people at various times when they wanted to publicly acknowledge God's help in certain situations. Jo and I built our Ebenezer to remind us every time when went up or down our driveway of the providential help that God has given us throughout our lives. It is a good thing for Christians to remember. Even in the bad times, and especially in the bad times, it is good to pause and thank God for his promised guidance and care. As a child, I used to wonder what it meant when we sang "Here I raise my Ebenezer" in the hymn "O Thou Fount of Every Blessing". Now I know. I can't tell how many times that little pile of stones by my driveway has redirected my mind to dwell on the Lord's mercy and grace in my life. I keep my wedding ring on my finger to remind me of my love for my departed wife. I take communion at church to remind me of the sacrifice Jesus made for sinners like me. And I keep this pile of stones near my driveway to remind me of God's help every day. Symbols like these are ways of refocusing us toward what is important. You might consider erecting your own Ebenezer somewhere on your own property. It has certainly helped me. And I have a feeling God would like it too. - John
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