Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a quick Bible lesson.
Okay, here’s the lesson; it’s a short one, but I think it’s powerful. And it comes from the book of First Samuel chapter 7, verse 12 where it says, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord helped us.’” Now, you probably know the background to that verse is right after the Israelites defeated the Philistines. And to commemorate this amazing victory, the prophet Samuel built a memorial made out of big stones. When he finished laying the stones, he stood back and named it “Ebenezer,” which means “a stone of help.” From then on out, whenever any Israelite passed that big pile of rocks, it would serve as a reminder. A reminder to everyone, including Samuel, that God was their help.
Now, this thing about raising a memorial … when you read through the Bible, you see that God does that a lot. From the beginning, God has always sealed special events with some kind of physical memorial. He gave Noah a rainbow; that served as a reminder of God’s covenant with man. He gave the Passover feast; it served as a memorial of Israel's deliverance from Egypt. He gave the law to Moses; God wrote it on two tablets so His people could see them and remember. Even the tabernacle, the ark itself, and the cloud that hovered over it were visible reminders of God's ever-present help. In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus declared that Mary's gift of perfume, which she poured over Him … that would be a memorial.
These kinds of memorials are not only in the old and new Testaments, I think they are present day, as well. For many years now, I’ve looked at my wheelchair (and I’m not kidding) as my Ebenezer. It’s a visible, physical reminder; it’s my stone of remembrance to commemorate God's grace in my life. It reminds me thus far the Lord has helped me and everyone who sees me smile in this wheelchair knows that God is my help. In fact, the other night I was lying in bed, and I glanced over at my wheelchair that was sitting in the corner in the shadows. It was plugged into the wall, getting its batteries charged. But as I lay there staring at it, I found myself singing that verse from the old hymn, “Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by thy help, I’ve come; and I quote 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.” Yep, before I had my accident that landed me in that wheelchair, I was wandering far from the fold of God; I was in spiritual danger. But God rescued me through the blood of Jesus and now, my wheelchair is a symbol of that grace—and so much more grace—God has given me through that wheelchair.
What are the memorials in your life, the tangible reminders God has given you of His ever-present help? I would like to know about them – so look for the stones of remembrances in your life. Maybe it’s a ring, a family Bible, a pair of crutches, or some memento you picked up during a journey—these things can be anchors for your soul. Because when pain becomes severe or sorrow crushing, you can look at that memorial set in place in a time of greater strength, and you can pray, “Oh, God, thus far you have helped me, and I have every reason to believe you will continue to help me.” Then, rest your heart on the faithfulness of God. And like I said, I’d love to hear what memorial is in your life. Just post your comments on the Joni and Friends Facebook page, or visit my radio page today at joniandfriends.org. Tell me what’s your Ebenezer—that is, your physical token of God’s faithfulness, no matter what the future brings.
© Joni and Friends, 2013
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