Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 17/October/2021]

In 1 Samuel 7 we read how the Philistines, who were long standing enemies of the Israelites, came to attack Israel. Samuel called out to God for help and God threw the Philistines into such a panic that the Israelites were able to defeat them. Verse 12 says: “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying: “Thus far has the LORD helped us”.

The word Ebenezer means ‘Stone of Help’ and I was particularly struck by the phrase “Thus far has the LORD helped us”. There is a very old hymn called ‘Come thou fount of every blessing’ which contains the words: “Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thine help I’ve come. And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.”

This got me thinking: ‘How can we raise our Ebenezer, or stone of help, to remind us of times when God has helped us?’ One way is to keep a prayer journal, recording prayers and answers. Unfortunately I lack the discipline to keep this up. Sharing our stories with others will also help build up both their faith and ours. I remember more than 50 years ago my father told me of an inner voice prompting him to make a phone call which most unexpectedly led to a job offer with a 33% pay rise. This was some time after my parents had made the sacrificial decision to start tithing.

Perhaps there is some object we can use to remind us of a time we have experienced God’s provision, as the Israelites used the Stone of Help. Alternatively, we could have a number of small cards and write on each a few words, reminding us of times when God has helped us. I decided to follow the last of these suggestions, jotting down things on cards as they occurred to me, for example:
1996 – provision of the perfect part time job, before I even started looking for one.
1999 – 2 nights a month respite starting just after Michael’s diabetes diagnosis, when it was most needed.”

The hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ has a verse which echoes these thoughts:

“Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come.
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home”

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