Ebenezer Stones

Do you have any Ebenezer stones in your home? No, I’m not talking about a new kind of construction material. I’m referring to objects that you keep as a reminder of a time you had a special encounter with God. These things don’t have to be actual stones or rocks. Most of the time they’re not. But they are a physical reminder of a spiritual reality.

Stuck in a vicious cycle

The idea comes from I Samuel 7. The nation of Israel was in a state of upheaval at the time. The people that God rescued from Egypt had forgotten God. For centuries they had lived in an unending cycle. They would worship God for a while, then be drawn to the idols of their neighbors. They would be oppressed by these same neighbors until a military leader would come to the forefront, bring victory, and restore proper worship, only to repeat the spiral again and again.

Finally, they had sunk to a place where their high priest had given up. He allowed his sons to run amok and make a mockery of the sacrifices Israel brought to God. So God allowed the Philistines to conquer Israel. Not only that, but the corrupt priests decided that they could turn the direction of the battle to their side by taking the Ark of the Covenant, the very symbol of God’s Presence, into battle with them.

The Ark was captured, the priests were killed, the High priest died when he heard the news from the battle. And it seemed that Israel’s identity was missing. The Philistines eventually returned the Ark. But Israel remained in a state of disarray.

God helps

It was into this background that Samuel became the final judge of Israel. He brought all the people together and led them in a time of fasting and repentance. And the next time Philistia attacked, God fought for Israel. And Israel was able to expel the Philistines from their land for a long time.

When all this was accomplished, Samuel took a stone, and had it placed in a strategic location, and he called it Ebenezer. The Hebrew word Ebenezer means “God helps.” Samuel placed the stone there as a reminder that God fought for Israel.

While this is the first, and perhaps only time, the scripture refers to an Ebenezer stone by this name, it was a common practice for God’s people to mark places of victory with a stone or an altar.

Ebenezer stones from the Jordan and Mount Carmel

When God staunched the flow of the Jordan River and allowed the nation of Israel to cross it on foot, Joshua, their leader, ordered that they bring 12 stones from the Jordan to the dry land, and to take 12 stones from the dry land into the middle of the riverbed as a reminder of the great miracle they had seen that day. And he reminded them that they were to tell their children about the miracle any time they asked.

Hundreds of years after Joshua and Samuel, there was another prophet, Elijah, who built an altar of stones on Mount Carmel. , Elijah rebuilt God’s altar, prayed a simple prayer, and reminded the whole nation of God’s power.

Personal Ebenezer stones

Ebenezer stones can be simple reminders we carry in our pockets, or they can be elaborate structures that remind us of God’s faithfulness.

God used a song on the radio I hadn’t heard for a while to remind me of this last week.  It speaks about remembering God’s faithfulness, recounting the miracles He has worked in our lives, and declaring them.

It took me back and tears came to my eyes as I thought of how faithful God has been in my life. The past few weeks have been hectic, and my life has seemed out of control. I am remodeling my bathroom, or rather, my neighbor is remodeling my bathroom.  I am not an organized person on a normal day. So when you add the chaos of a remodel, I’m not sure where anything is.

And I had a minor fender bender a couple of weeks ago. No one was injured, and it wasn’t my fault, but my car has been in the shop since then. I have a rental, but I miss my car. I have let the stress of these combined situations get to me.

That song became an Ebenezer stone. And the Holy Spirit nudged me to remember some of those blessings.

Saved from disaster

You see, the fact that I have a house to be remodeled is evidence of God’s goodness. That’s true for any of us. But owning a home seemed impossible 20 years ago, I lost my apartment and most of my possessions in a flood that displaced hundreds of families in my community.It was a difficult time for me, a time when I questioned God’s goodness.

But in spite of my questions, doubts and even accusations to God, He acted on my behalf. In the aftermath of that disaster, I was able to purchase a house and start over. He restored what the locusts had eaten.  And last month, thanks to an inheritance from my parents, I was able to pay off the mortgage.

Perhaps I should name the house Ebenezer?

Ebenezer pebbles?

I have other, smaller, Ebenezer stones too. I have pebble sized rocks that I keep on my mantle. One was a gift from my spiritual mother when I was a baptized a few years ago.

The second comes from the grounds of a retreat center where God reminded me that He loved me. Period. That I didn’t have to earn His love. He loved me because He loves. And that is enough. It was a message that changed my life.

A Godly heritage

And then, there’s the tattered  copy of Streams in the Desert that belonged to my Nanny Crowe, my paternal grandmother.  I have the devotional book on Kindle, so I don’t have to keep the physical copy. But I do. The volume is at least 50 years old. The print is tiny. But the book is well worn and well loved. It is the kind of devotional that transcends time, unlike many of the ones we buy and use for a season or two.

It reminds me of my spiritual heritage, that I am not the first of my family to meet with God. I had parents and grandparents who prayed for me.

My grandmother didn’t have an easy life. She was young when she married, was in her 40s when her husband died suddenly leaving her with a 14-year-old son (my Dad) and no obvious means of support. Her education ended in third grade. But she read and wrote well, studying her King James Bible diligently, teaching Junior Girls in Sunday School, and carrying on a correspondence with dozens of people through most of her life. I like to think I have her grit and her faith. Her story speaks volumes still today.

We mark it so we don’t forget

I am studying the book Fervent by Priscilla Shirer. The cover says it is “A Woman’s Battle Plan for Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer.” I listened to it first, and soon realized that it was the kind of book that needed to be read, studied and worked through.

I bought copies and asked my mentor to study it with me.  We have just gotten started, but it is powerful.

Shirer begins by talking about her grandmother who keeps a notebook of her prayers. One day she asked the older woman why she keeps the notebooks, why she writes down her prayers. She was expecting some deep spiritual answer, a deep theological concept she herself had missed. But the older woman replied simply, “So I won’t forget.”

Ebenezer stones so we don’t forget

That’s the reason for Ebenezer stones. They serve as reminders so we don’t forget. I don’t want to forget how many prayers I have seen answered and how good God has been. But like the children of Israel, I grumble and complain and blame God when things don’t go my way. I need tangible reminders, things that I can touch and remember.

What about you? Do you need reminders of God’s goodness? What are your Ebenezer stones? How do you declare that God has helped you?