“Then 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 (ESV)

If you are not familiar with the Old Testament, this passage may not be familiar to you. Your first thought may be of Ebenezer Scrooge in “The Christmas Carol” or the rickety old Ebenezer Baptist Church on the outskirts of town (there are a lot of them). A little historical background will help.

Samuel the prophet had become the spiritual leader in Israel after the death of Eli, who was both the high priest and his mentor. Phineas and Hophni, his sons, had taken the Ark of the Covenant to the battle with the Philistines. The Philistines captured the Ark and killed Phineas and Hophni in the process. Israel found itself defeated and leaderless. After 20 years of idolatry and oppression, Samuel gathered Israel together in Mizpeh, calling them to repentance. When the Philistines sought to attack, “the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel” (7:10). It was at this point Samuel placed the stone he called “Ebenezer” or “stone of remembrance.”

If you have walked with the Lord for any period of time, you probably have some Ebenezer stones you can look back upon. Occasionally, we need to remember the occasions where God has given us victory in some area of our life. It may have been physical healing, overcoming an addiction, or some other life-transforming experience. There is nothing wrong with looking back. In fact, we are encouraged to do so in Scripture. “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Looking back will remind us of God’s faithfulness over the years.

As we stand on the threshold of a new year, it is important that we look forward as well. The same God who has been faithful to us this past year has gone before us into the coming year. He goes before us because we do not yet know the way we are to go. Just as Moses told the people of Israel at the edge of the Jordan River “The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes” (Deuteronomy 1:30), we can be confident that the Lord goes before us as we enter this new year.

Some of you have had tremendous hardships this past year and the uncertainty of the future is overwhelming. The very fact that you are here, facing the new year, is evidence that God has in fact been with you this past year, hardships notwithstanding. The author of Hebrews brings forward the same promise Moses made to the children of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised land. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

The Apostle Paul shows us how we should tackle this new year. “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). The prize before us is a new year of serving King Jesus. My prayer for you is that this new year will give you many more “Ebenezer stone” moments as you experience the faithfulness of the One who promises us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”!

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!