Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Ebenezer

As this year wraps its final month, I remember back to ten years ago to Y2K. I don't know how your family responded to all the panicky hype, but worry motivated many to stock up on water, dry beans, and pb. As we all know, nothing substantial materialized. The whole world did not go black, computers (for the most part) functioned normally, and food rations remained plentiful. And that occurrence reminds me that most of my anxieties are propelled by "what if" questions, and many of those fears never come to fruition. Winston Churchill is quoted for saying, "When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened."

Since the holiday is near, The Christmas Carol is available on theatres, plays, and paperback. And although the story of Ebenezer Scrooge proves to be an excellent story of meaning and redemption, the kind of Ebenezer I want to discuss goes back to the book of I Samuel after God saved Israel from the Philistines attack. Samuel took a single rock (Ebenezer translated from Hebrew means 'Rock of Help') and said, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." It was a remembrance rock to encourage the Israelites to keep their faith when the next trial would come--for certainly we know it did. They were to look back and remember that God had always been there, faithfully protecting and providing despite their lack of loyalty and obedience.

We too are called to set up Ebenezers--perhaps not in the literal sense--as a symbol to say, "Hey, what are you worrying about? Hasn't God always been faithful to His promises? Isn't God big enough to take care of this minor hurdle as well?"

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone." ~ Psalm 71: 14-16

2 comments:

  1. I was talking to a dear friend about this very topic, and thought, "what a great discussion for the blog." Through this blog, I remind myself as much as anyone else.

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