An Ebenezer

Did you ever sing Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing? There is a line in it that says, "Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I'm come..." What is an Ebenezer anyway? Do you know? Do you even care? Or, are you like me & you have sung the song but never pursued the meaning of the word?

Well, yesterday, during our last full day of SPLICE we built an Ebenezer. That caused me to do some research. The term "Ebenezer" originally comes from the Bible (I am not surprised) in 1Samuel 7:12-14. It is formed by the two Hebrew words that mean "stone" and "help." So, an Ebenezer is a stone of help. It is a stone that is used as a reminder of God's real, holy presence and His divine aid.

That is what SLICE was all about - reaching out for, calling out for and leaning into God's divine help. As I learned more about myself, how I respond to situations, how I interact with people and especially as I look at the task set before me, I know that I can't do it on my own strength. All I can say is, "God Help!" I've said it many times in my life and many, many times these past three weeks. "God Help!"

And, God did help. He continues to help. Our Ebenezer is a testimony to "The Secret Work of God" that took place at Mission Training International in August 2010. I do raise my Ebenezer, God is my help! Without Him, I can do nothing.