Do You Have An Ebenezer?

Do you have any stones of remembrance that mark the journey of your walk with the LORD that you can share with your children?   ~~~ At the introduction of this whole scene, back in chapter 4, it started in the town of Ebenezer, and at the end of chapter 7, Samuel raises an Ebenezer. The two locations are not the same, but the names are. It’s as if Samuel is saying, “All that was lost at the geographical city named Ebenezer has been restored to us through our Great Ebenezer.” Why do we find this occurrence so much in the OT, this practice of setting up stones? The stones would serve as a reminder to generation to come of God’s particular help in that particular time. It would be so that when a father and son were walking into the city of Beth-car and see that stone, the son would know about that there was a story behind the stone. So the father would begin to tell the story of when the Israelites lost a great battle due to their pride and arrogance. But how the LORD brought them to a place of repentance and trust in Him, and that He delivered them from the hand of the Philistines in a dramatic fashion. The Jewish people were great storytellers. So the boy would not only learn about God, but he would also walk away with an expectation that God would be involved in His life as well! What a treasure these stones must have been scattered all over the land. Do you have any stones of remembrance that mark the journey of your walk with the LORD that you can share with your children? A journal of the LORD’s working in your life that you can pass along to your grandchildren? What a gift to be able to share with your children how the LORD has worked in your life! Then they will grow up not only knowing your story and the faithfulness of the LORD to His word, but they will be expecting and anticipating the LORD to be faithful to His words of promise to them and to move on their behalf as well! And HE WILL!