Ebenezer is not a "who"

         Robert was by far the living definition of a juvenile deliquent. He had lost his father at the age of 8. By fourteen, his defiance and path of destrution became too much for his mother to handle. In desperation, she sent her son away in hopes that an apprenticeship would straighten him out. Instead, he plummeted further down his dangerous path. Until one day, at the age of seventeen, with full intent to crash an evangelistic meeting, h showed up at a church.  God worked His love and changed this young boy's heart. By the age of 20, Robert had left his disasterous ways and had become a minister, preaching God's word to others. While preparing a sermon, at the age of 23, God's love inspired Robert to a poem that was later set to music. Today, 250 plus years later, we know this hymn as "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing."

   A while back, my pastor did a sermon based on this song. This sermon has stuck with me, because of one word: Ebenezer. If you are like me, immediately your mind flashed to your favorite version of the Christmas Carol and you were seeing good 'ol Scooge.  But that isn't the Ebenezer that I mean. In the second verse of the Come Thou Fount, there is a line that states, "Here I raise my Ebenezer..." Again, insert  mental image of a giant hand lifting Scrooge high into the air. Yet, the Ebenezer in this song is a "what" not a "who." 

   In the book of 1 Samuel, the Ark of the Covenant is taken in battle from the Israelites by the Philistines. This did work out so well for this clan! The Ark, did not bring great fortune for the Philistines, instead it brought death and destruction, to the point that the people were beggng for it to be sent back. Eventually, the Philistines loaded it up, sent it back, and called it good. Several years later,  they attacked the Israelites again, looking for an easy victory. Instead, the Israelites called on God's favor, and defeated the Philistines. In honor of this victory and to honor God's hand in this battle, Samuel took a stone, named it Ebenezer, placed it between two cities as a physical reminder of God's help.

Ebenezer-- a stone. A stone whose name literally translates to the "stone of help." It is a physical reminder of what God has brought us through, His holy sovereignty, His divine help,  a reminder of  His ever present, unfailing love.  I'm no expert, but I think by definition, this Ebenezer is way better than a stingy old man! 

I am thankful that like Robert, at the age of seventten, God met me and molded my heart for His love. Since then, God has brought many Ebenezers into my life: songs, passages, sermons, people. But I have to say, my strongest, most readily called on Ebenezer is my first bible. The bible I received before I knew God, that I used to discover Him, that I sought comfort in while learning who I was in Him.  Like Robert, and his struggles, there are times that my heart is "prone to wonder, to leave the God I love."   When I feel lost, and need that stone of help, it is then I open my drawer and pull out this bible. I unzip the faded, stained cover, open it, and begin to absorb the words written inside.  It is filled with notes from those who helped guide me in the beginning of my journey. Passages are highlighted with notes of importance. Prayers are written in the margins. It is there, in this book that I am able to ground myself again, refocus myself. It is in its pages that I am drawn to bow my heart before God, admit my never ending need for His divine guidance and ever plentiful grace. It is there that I can quiet my heart, drowned out the distractions, and remember why I so desperately need to fall face down infront of my God. To anyone else, this bible is just that, the written word of God. And while I know and ackowledge that, I also know that at times, it is the Ebenezer I so desperately need in order to find my way back to my Father.

As time passed, Robert fell away from his relationship with God. It is said that at one point, he encounted a woman on a stagecoach, obliviousy to who he was. Somehow,  in conversation, she quoted words from the song to him. He then told her that he was the man who wrote that song and how he would give anything to feel what he had felt when he was walking with the Lord. To this, it is said she replied, "Sir, the "streams of mercy" are still flowing."  I am not sure if Robert ever discovered the Ebenezer that he needed in order to renew his relationship with God.I would like to think that this woman's gentle reminder was the Ebenezer he needed.  For me, I am grateful for each Ebenezer I encounter, that keeps me my heart bowed, and my eyes focused upward!