Come thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise

… Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount I’m fixed upon it
Mount of God’s redeeming love

… Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here by Thy great help I’ve come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home

… Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger
Bought me with His precious blood

… Oh to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee

… Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love

… Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

… Here’s my heart Lord, though it’s weakened
Hold me in Your precious arms

This familiar hymn was written by Robert Robinson in 1752 upon his conversion to Christ after hearing George Whitfield preach a powerful sermon about the “wrath to come” with the importance of worshiping and serving God only so we will be ready for Christ’s return.  Now you know the “rest of the story.” I love how God speaks through songwriters. From assigned Temple musicians, through David the famous Psalmist, to now, musicians give us a glimpse of God with a dose of conviction.  Nothing has changed.  Musicians transformed by Jesus still write “some melodious sonnet” as a testimony of their love for God who saved them from their wanderings. 

Knowing Jesus changes us.  Jesus’ redemption reconnects all who believe to God alone, and convicts us to get rid of all that the idols the world has to offer which are fleeting and foolish to cling to for help. Read and watch what happens when God’s people, prone to wander, stop their foolish idol worship and turn wholeheartedly back to God—the God of their salvation who is ready and willing to help! 

“Here I raise my Ebenezer—is the song of Samuel who raised a stone to commemorate the One and Only God who is with us, helps us, and fights our battles for us. Trust in God alone.  Samuel did. The people began to know, truly believe, and trust God because of Samuel’s commitment and example of faith in God alone.

1 Samuel 7

¹ So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. ² The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all.

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. ³ So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” ⁶ When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷ When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. ⁸ They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.

¹⁰ While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. ¹⁴ The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵ Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life. ¹⁶ From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. ¹⁷ But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND? YOU DECIDE!

God raised up Samuel from birth to manhood to be His spiritual spokesperson for Israel.  Israel stopped wandering and worshiping the idols of the unbelievers and have turned back to God.  Samuel now advises them IF you are seriously turning to the Lord with all your hearts—commit to serve God only. 

This passage, 1 Samuel 7, provides a good illustration of the results of repentance. Israel’s confession of sin led to the subduing of the Philistines. The end result was peace. When we confess our sins to Jesus, our real enemy is subdued.  The result for us is His peace!  If there is anything Satan hates worse—it’s believers on their knees confessing to Jesus!  So, let’s do that!

Prone to wander, we must daily realize to love God has for us.  We must always remember that our enemy, the Enemy of God, Satan, lost the battle for our souls when Jesus rose from death to life in victory!  Satan cannot win nor will he overcome what Jesus has provided for us: complete forgiveness of sins—all our sins that filled us with shame, forgotten by God—”to be remembered no more”!   Our slate is clean, eternal life secured, when we confess our sins and love God back who first loved us.  His peace and joy floods our souls as we leave the world behind.  Satan cannot take God’s love from us. Satan cannot replace God’s Holy Spirit who comes to live in all who believe and trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.  Our body is His Temple where God’s chooses to reside!  Wow, can I get an amen!? 

Our “Ebenezer” testimony must be raised daily in worship to the One and Only God who saves us and is always with us working on our behalf to help us! God is for us—not against us!  God does not fail. What God says, He does. God does not lie. God’s love for us is everlasting. God has won the battle and also wins the daily skirmishes with evil now and in the end of time on earth.  So, why not, go with God!? There is no one like God!

When we are prone to wander, read and remember what Paul tells believers;

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39

Like Paul, we who are also sinners saved by grace are humbled to our knees!

“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” Ephesians 3:14-17, NLT

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

THIS is my Ebenezer testimony of God who is our Helper.

In Jesus Name, for His glory and for our good, Yes and Amen.