A stone and a sharpie / God’s never-failing faithfulness

May 19, 2020

A Rock of Reminder

It had been a bad period for the Israelites. The priesthood had been corrupted by the high priest Eli’s wicked sons, and idol worship was rampant in the land. As a result, God had allowed the nation’s army to be twice defeated by the Philistines—the second time leading to the Ark of the Covenant falling into enemy hands. The Philistines soon discovered in very painful ways that God was not looking for a new home down by the Mediterranean coast. This led to a game of “hot potato” with the Ark, as town after town was afflicted with excruciating tumors and attacked by voracious rodents. Soon the chastened Philistines sent the Ark back to Israel with a sizable offering of gold as an apology gift.

This began a time of national soul-searching in Israel led by the judge and prophet Samuel. Revival broke out, the people put away their idols, and they returned to the Lord. To celebrate this reunion with the God of all mercy, Samuel summoned Israel to a place called Mizpah. Once there, he led the nation in corporate repentance before their holy God.

Meanwhile down in Philistia, word reached the enemy that the people of Israel were vulnerable. It was the perfect scenario for a murderous sneak attack. Quickly they strapped on their weapons and marched toward Mizpah. As they approached, they were spotted and the alarm went up. The Israelites knew they were in an impossible situation. They cried out to the Lord for help, with Samuel joining in the prayers. The Lord answered with a thunderous sound that completely disoriented the Philistines. While the enemy soldiers were trying to gather their wits, the small army of Israel attacked. Through the mighty hand of the Lord, the Philistines were soundly defeated. In response to this great work of God, Samuel set up a memorial stone. He called it Ebenezer, meaning “stone of help,” telling the people, “Till now the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12).

Why a stone? A stone has permanence. Samuel wanted to do more than just make a onetime statement recognizing God’s protection. He knew that words come and go—what is powerful and important today is often forgotten tomorrow. Although God gave the Israelites protection from the Philistines for the rest of Samuel’s life, the prophet knew that future generations would face helpless situations just as the people of his time did. That rock would stand there year after year as a testimony that God can be trusted no matter what.

I remember hearing of a church that had gone through a difficult time. When the situation finally began to settle, the pastor called a solemn assembly of the people. As they gathered, he passed out small river rocks and Sharpies to the congregation. He asked each person to write the word Ebenezer on their rock with the reference 1 Samuel 7:12. Then he challenged them to take the rock home and place it on a dresser or a windowsill—some place that they would regularly see it. There it would remain as a reminder of the faithfulness of God no matter the situation.

In Israel we are beginning to open up again. Recently I was able to take my family down to Tel Aviv to enjoy a day at the shore. I even had the opportunity to invite some friends over for a barbecue at our house. The Lord is starting to bring us out the other side of this pandemic. It is very evident today how he has protected us, cared for us, and provided for us. Even when times reached their worst, we still knew that he was always with us. The question is will we remember his faithfulness when the next great crisis arises? Will our first reaction be trust or panic, faith or fear? Maybe employing a rock, a Sharpie, and a prominent windowsill today will help you remember God’s never-failing faithfulness when the next crisis comes along.

—Joel

May 19, 2020

A Rock of Reminder

It had been a bad period for the Israelites. The priesthood had been corrupted by the high priest Eli’s wicked sons, and idol worship was rampant in the land. As a result, God had allowed the nation’s army to be twice defeated by the Philistines—the second time leading to the Ark of the Covenant falling into enemy hands. The Philistines soon discovered in very painful ways that God was not looking for a new home down by the Mediterranean coast. This led to a game of “hot potato” with the Ark, as town after town was afflicted with excruciating tumors and attacked by voracious rodents. Soon the chastened Philistines sent the Ark back to Israel with a sizable offering of gold as an apology gift.

This began a time of national soul-searching in Israel led by the judge and prophet Samuel. Revival broke out, the people put away their idols, and they returned to the Lord. To celebrate this reunion with the God of all mercy, Samuel summoned Israel to a place called Mizpah. Once there, he led the nation in corporate repentance before their holy God.

Meanwhile down in Philistia, word reached the enemy that the people of Israel were vulnerable. It was the perfect scenario for a murderous sneak attack. Quickly they strapped on their weapons and marched toward Mizpah. As they approached, they were spotted and the alarm went up. The Israelites knew they were in an impossible situation. They cried out to the Lord for help, with Samuel joining in the prayers. The Lord answered with a thunderous sound that completely disoriented the Philistines. While the enemy soldiers were trying to gather their wits, the small army of Israel attacked. Through the mighty hand of the Lord, the Philistines were soundly defeated. In response to this great work of God, Samuel set up a memorial stone. He called it Ebenezer, meaning “stone of help,” telling the people, “Till now the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12).

Why a stone? A stone has permanence. Samuel wanted to do more than just make a onetime statement recognizing God’s protection. He knew that words come and go—what is powerful and important today is often forgotten tomorrow. Although God gave the Israelites protection from the Philistines for the rest of Samuel’s life, the prophet knew that future generations would face helpless situations just as the people of his time did. That rock would stand there year after year as a testimony that God can be trusted no matter what.

I remember hearing of a church that had gone through a difficult time. When the situation finally began to settle, the pastor called a solemn assembly of the people. As they gathered, he passed out small river rocks and Sharpies to the congregation. He asked each person to write the word Ebenezer on their rock with the reference 1 Samuel 7:12. Then he challenged them to take the rock home and place it on a dresser or a windowsill—some place that they would regularly see it. There it would remain as a reminder of the faithfulness of God no matter the situation.

In Israel we are beginning to open up again. Recently I was able to take my family down to Tel Aviv to enjoy a day at the shore. I even had the opportunity to invite some friends over for a barbecue at our house. The Lord is starting to bring us out the other side of this pandemic. It is very evident today how he has protected us, cared for us, and provided for us. Even when times reached their worst, we still knew that he was always with us. The question is will we remember his faithfulness when the next great crisis arises? Will our first reaction be trust or panic, faith or fear? Maybe employing a rock, a Sharpie, and a prominent windowsill today will help you remember God’s never-failing faithfulness when the next crisis comes along.

—Joel

May 19, 2020

A Rock of Reminder

It had been a bad period for the Israelites. The priesthood had been corrupted by the high priest Eli’s wicked sons, and idol worship was rampant in the land. As a result, God had allowed the nation’s army to be twice defeated by the Philistines—the second time leading to the Ark of the Covenant falling into enemy hands. The Philistines soon discovered in very painful ways that God was not looking for a new home down by the Mediterranean coast. This led to a game of “hot potato” with the Ark, as town after town was afflicted with excruciating tumors and attacked by voracious rodents. Soon the chastened Philistines sent the Ark back to Israel with a sizable offering of gold as an apology gift.

This began a time of national soul-searching in Israel led by the judge and prophet Samuel. Revival broke out, the people put away their idols, and they returned to the Lord. To celebrate this reunion with the God of all mercy, Samuel summoned Israel to a place called Mizpah. Once there, he led the nation in corporate repentance before their holy God.

Meanwhile down in Philistia, word reached the enemy that the people of Israel were vulnerable. It was the perfect scenario for a murderous sneak attack. Quickly they strapped on their weapons and marched toward Mizpah. As they approached, they were spotted and the alarm went up. The Israelites knew they were in an impossible situation. They cried out to the Lord for help, with Samuel joining in the prayers. The Lord answered with a thunderous sound that completely disoriented the Philistines. While the enemy soldiers were trying to gather their wits, the small army of Israel attacked. Through the mighty hand of the Lord, the Philistines were soundly defeated. In response to this great work of God, Samuel set up a memorial stone. He called it Ebenezer, meaning “stone of help,” telling the people, “Till now the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12).

Why a stone? A stone has permanence. Samuel wanted to do more than just make a onetime statement recognizing God’s protection. He knew that words come and go—what is powerful and important today is often forgotten tomorrow. Although God gave the Israelites protection from the Philistines for the rest of Samuel’s life, the prophet knew that future generations would face helpless situations just as the people of his time did. That rock would stand there year after year as a testimony that God can be trusted no matter what.

I remember hearing of a church that had gone through a difficult time. When the situation finally began to settle, the pastor called a solemn assembly of the people. As they gathered, he passed out small river rocks and Sharpies to the congregation. He asked each person to write the word Ebenezer on their rock with the reference 1 Samuel 7:12. Then he challenged them to take the rock home and place it on a dresser or a windowsill—some place that they would regularly see it. There it would remain as a reminder of the faithfulness of God no matter the situation.

In Israel we are beginning to open up again. Recently I was able to take my family down to Tel Aviv to enjoy a day at the shore. I even had the opportunity to invite some friends over for a barbecue at our house. The Lord is starting to bring us out the other side of this pandemic. It is very evident today how he has protected us, cared for us, and provided for us. Even when times reached their worst, we still knew that he was always with us. The question is will we remember his faithfulness when the next great crisis arises? Will our first reaction be trust or panic, faith or fear? Maybe employing a rock, a Sharpie, and a prominent windowsill today will help you remember God’s never-failing faithfulness when the next crisis comes along.

—Joel