The Stone of Help – 2015.02.20
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (Stone of Help), explaining, “The Lord helped us to this very point.”
1 Samuel 7:12
The nation of Israel was plagued by misfortune and disaster. The enemies oppressed it and took away much from the land of promise. Then they cried to Samuel for help. He told them: Cast your idols away! Destroy all that separates you from God! Then I will pray for you. The nation gave up everything and gathered to hold a celebration of penance. It fasted and wept because of their sin. The enemy saw it and set off to destroy Israel permanently. The people got afraid and begged Samuel to pray for them. He took a lamb, and sacrificed it. He was not ready yet, when the enemies arrived. But God did not allow His people that something happened. He sent such a great thunder that the enemies fell into confusion and Israel could beat them. On this day Samuel put up the stone Ebenezer: To this very point the Lord helped us. The Israelis took the whole country in possession again, which the enemy had taken them and there was peace.
The people of God is suppressed even today; the enemy robs him of all sorts of things: Joy, praise, peace, sleep and blessing. This is sometimes because we have made too many compromises with the world, too much separates us from surrender to God. Only if we turn back to Him with all our heart and cleanse ourselves from sin and throw away the worthless things, we will experience victory and God’s promises come true.
Samuel sacrificed a lamb for the people. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb that died for us so that we can live. He is the reason for our victory! That’s why we want to thank Him and praise Him, for He is our Lord, who died and rose for us.
We strive to occupy the land of promise again: There is so much blessing that we have missed! We want to fight for it again, so that the promises come true, which Jesus has given us.
Thank you, Jesus, You are the Lamb that was sacrificed for me. I place myself under Your protection! Thank You for appreciating me so much! I want to remove everything that separates me from You, because You’re worth it. To you alone I will dedicate my life. Thank You, You protect me from the enemy. You’re the winner!