“Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24).
Onwards and upwards, is the mantra. No turning back, keep your eyes fixed forward. Forget the past and look to the future. The past is history, but the future is bright. Live in the moment!
This might sound good on the lips of a politician or a self-help guru, but to live in perpetual forgetfulness is neither wise nor possible. Better to follow the advice of the Prophet Samuel and trace the activity of God in your life, and from that draw both comfort and inspiration. Join the dots of the blessings and find the picture of the Good Shepherd, guiding you safely on. Help received just when needed, a seeming mishap directing you down a better path, the right person at the right time.
A few chapters earlier Samuel gathered the people of Israel together after a victory over the Philistines. We read that: “Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Till now the LORD has helped us.’ (1 Samuel 7:12). Ebenezer means “stone of help”, and each time the Israelites saw the stone they would be reminded of God’s help in the past and so look to his help in the future. The Ebenezer was a memory in stone.
What wisdom there is in building your own Ebenezers, reminders of God’s help to you in the past. These monuments not only demonstrate God’s blessings to you, but also give you courage when the skies darken. Reader! Get building your Ebenezers!
