Good Words for Today: December 30

“Here I raise my Ebenezer, Hither by Thy help I’ve come” These familiar words come from the second verse of “Come, Thou Fount,” a hymn written by Robert Robinson in 1757. Back then a hymnwriter could pen something like “Here I raise my Ebenezer” and know that most of his readers would understand the reference. Today people think of Ebenezer Scrooge and wonder what that has to do with anything. The term “Ebenezer” means “stone of help” in Hebrew. After the Israelites won a great victory over the Philistines in 1 Samuel 7, Samuel set up a huge boulder as a marker of God’s divine intervention. He called it “Ebenezer,” meaning something like “God has helped us every step of the way, and this victory comes from his hand.” To “raise an Ebenezer” means to remember God’s goodness. There is no better time than the end of a year to declare what the Lord has done for you. Take a moment and look back over the last twelve months: How has the Lord helped you? When did he rescue you? What prayers did he answer? How has he helped your loved ones? When you stumbled, how did he pick you up? When you were grieving, how did he comfort you? Don’t put 2017 to bed without thinking about the goodness of the Lord. Write it down. Share it on Facebook. Tell your friends. If you have seen God’s hand at work, it’s time to “raise an Ebenezer.”

December 30, 2017