Raising my Ebenezer

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”

Sarah Beth came in the other day and asked, “What’s my Ebenezer? And why am I raising it?” She was listening to Chris Rice’s new hymns album (which is amazing), and she didn’t understand this verse from “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” We also have an Ebenezer conference in Prague this time next year which will be for all of the folks in our region who have served their first year of their term. So I looked up the reference, I Samuel 7:12. It turns out that Samuel raised a memorial when the Israelites swept the Philistines from their land, and he called it Ebenezer, which means “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” I have to tell you, at this moment in my life, those kind of stones of remembrance, placed as memorials to the ways in which God has brought us to this place, are beyond important….they are life-saving. Without them, it would be easy to become discouraged and depressed. It is gray. Nothing is easy. It is cold. Our heat remains a difficulty at best. Our noses run all the time. It will not be above freezing in the next week. We miss our family and friends. We do not speak the language well, yet. Did I mention it’s unbelievably cold?

But if those things become the focus, then we are not being faithful to the God who called us, who says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!” (Isaiah 43:1) How can we look at the last two years of our lives, when God has moved mountains to bring us to this place, and not know that He is here, just like He was there? How can we look at our team, who we’re crazy about, and not see His hand? How can we look at our beloved Irina, who teaches us Russian and loves all of us, who has become an important part of our family, and not clearly see Him at work? If I pay close attention, everywhere there are His fingerprints. But it is my job to see them, even when I have to search for them. But when I look…He has touched and left His mark all around us. If I look around with eyes of faith, I must proclaim, “O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!”

What is all around you that clearly marks your life as His? When you look at your children, your friends, your parents, your spouse…do you see the fingerprints of the One who loves you more than His own life? If you look with the right eyes, I know you can see Him at work. Maybe He’s working through an enjoyable, wonderful, easy time in your life, or maybe like me, He’s working by stretching you beyond what you think is possible. Whatever way He’s at work, enjoy today being marked by His fingerprints. He loves you and thinks you are wonderful…and so do I! Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye