Ebenezer Day

Since Monday was a day of reflection, I’m still thinking about how we all need to look back not just on the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our country, but we also need to look back on the times and people in our personal lives that have made a difference. These are the things that can give us hope in our times of trouble. If we have seen God’s faithfulness in the past, we can trust that He will be faithful to us in our current struggles.

In the Bible when Joshua was leading the people into the Promised Land by crossing the parted waters of the Jordan River, he instructed one person from each of the 12 tribes to pick up a rock from the river bed. They set the stones up as a memorial so that when people saw it and asked about it, they would be told the story of how God had miraculously shown His power in guiding Israel during the time in the desert. In the Old Testament, the wise prophet Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer when God came to the rescue of Israel and saved them from their enemy. These were recorded as examples for us today.

Now I am not saying to go out and find a bunch of rocks to set up as reminders for you, but there are other things that you can do. Maybe God used a Bible verse to help you through a difficult period, so why not post it so that you see it often and can thank God for what He has done in your life? Possibly it is a picture of someone who invested in you so that you were able to grow and mature in your faith. Could you put their picture in a place where you will see it often and thank God for them? Perhaps an object serves as a reminder of God’s presence in times past. If it is displayed where you pass it frequently, why not stop and let it be a prompt to reflect on God’s goodness?

In my opinion, I think it would be great to have a national holiday to be able to look back on what God has done for us personally and for us as a nation. Although I don’t think that Congress would approve an “Ebenezer Day”, it doesn’t really matter if it is an approved holiday or not, since we can each choose when to have our own private day of remembrance or we could even choose to have it everyday. Will you take the opportunity today to look back over your life and see those things worthy of celebrating?

1 Samuel 7:12 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."

Comments

Christy said…
My "Ebenezer" is a magnet that a wise, wonderful, cherished friend made for me that has a tiny rock and the verse "He alone is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." Ps 62:2
It is posted near my computer so I am reminded of God's powerful presence many times a day!
June 27, 2010 at 4:40 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bavarian Cream Pie

Image
2 eggs 1/8 t salt 3/4 c scalded milk 1 c whipping cream 1 T gelatin 1/4 c cold water 1/2 c sugar 1 t vanilla Chocolate crumb crust Beat sugar and egg yolks. Then add milk and scald until it sticks to the spoon, stirring constantly. Let gelatin and cold water soak until dissolved, then add to milk and let cool. Whip cream and egg whites separately and then mix together. Mix cream and egg mixture to the milk that has been cooled. Add vanilla to mixture. When this begins to congeal, pour into chocolate crumb crust. Put into refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle crushed crumbs over the top before serving. www.hearthope.org
Read more

Mount of the Holy Cross

Image
For years people have enjoyed the awe of Mount of the Holy Cross which is a 14,000 foot mountain in the Sawatch Range of Colorado. It is named for the distinctive snow-filled cross at the top of the mountain and was proclaimed a national monument by Herbert Hoover in 1929. Painters have painted it; photographers have photographed it and hikers have hiked it, because of its special beauty. When my children were young and visiting the area, we would take the gondola up the mountain to the observation deck at Eagle’s Nest for the perfect view of the majestic Mount of the Holy Cross.  So when my grandchildren were visiting this summer, it seemed natural to take them to the same spot for old times’ sake.  The mountain had not changed and the view was still inspiring, but something was terribly wrong. The name on the sign at Eagle’s Nest had been changed. It was no longer labeled Mount of the Holy Cross, but instead has been replaced with the designation Cross of Snow. Why would that be do
Read more

My Latest Award!

Image
This is my niece Allison Bullock who wins triathlons! I won an award today, but before you go getting all excited for me or want to see how you can win one too, you might want to read more. This honor might not be one you want to receive, because you see it is not an accolade that I really want either.  I went for my annual mammogram this morning and while there the doctor found some suspicious areas and wanted to have an ultrasound performed. While laying on the sterile bed, with my pretty pink robe opened and covered with goo used for the transducer, the hand-held device that sends out the waves which produce the picture, the technician declared that I had won the prize for the most cysts she had ever seen in a patient. How do you like that one! I guess the good part is that cysts are not usually dangerous, but still…. I have received other awards in my life that are much more prestigious than the one today, but there is a future award that I hope to obtain that will be more
Read more