Morning Devotional 060525 Raise Your Ebenezer

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

June 5, 2025

Genesis 28:16-21

16 When Jacob woke from his sleep, he thought to himself, The LORD is definitely in this place, but I didn’t know it. 17 He was terrified and thought, This sacred place is awesome. It’s none other than God’s house and the entrance to heaven. 18 After Jacob got up early in the morning, he took the stone that he had put near his head, set it up as a sacred pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He named that sacred place Bethel, though Luz was the city’s original name. 20 Jacob made a solemn promise: “If God is with me and protects me on this trip I’m taking, and gives me bread to eat and clothes to wear, 21 and I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD will be my God. 22 This stone that I’ve set up as a sacred pillar will be God’s house, and of everything you give me I will give a tenth back to you.”

Good Morning! Here I raise my Ebenezer! 

"Raising my Ebenezer" refers to a biblical tradition of erecting a monument, often a stone, to commemorate God's help and blessings in a time of need or victory. It's a symbolic act of giving thanks and acknowledging God's faithfulness. The phrase is also a line in the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," where it expresses gratitude for God's grace and salvation. While not specifically named as such, Jacob’s placement and designation of the stone as a sacred pillar resemble the idea of raising my Ebenezer. 

The first direct mention of Ebenezer is found in 1 Samuel 7:12, where Samuel the prophet takes a stone and sets it up between Mizpah and Shen, naming it Ebenezer, which means "stone of help." He declares, "Thus far the LORD has helped us", acknowledging God's intervention in their victory over the Philistines. This act serves as a reminder and a testament to God's faithfulness and ongoing assistance. 

As I continue along my faith journey, I have come to expect God’s mysterious ways to be revealed regularly. I believe that some of these revelations go unnoticed because we are distracted by daily life, but when I recognize them, it is a great blessing. Yesterday, we spread Lowell’s ashes in the water near our favorite beach venue.

We both felt our time at the beach was our place to be renewed and refreshed when the weariness of life would overwhelm us. Each trip created beautiful memories that sustain me through the times when I feel the loneliness creep in. I recently shared Lowell’s love of the hymn, “Come, thou Fount of Every Blessing,” so I was blessed when I discerned the raising of an Ebenezer hidden among this morning’s verses in Genesis. 

The concept of Ebenezer can be applied to our individual lives and our communities to remember past blessings and to continue seeking God's guidance in the present. Most of us benefit from a symbol that reminds us of God's presence and work in our lives when we feel lost and alone, or when doubts are mounting within us. What Ebenezer do we raise to remember God working in our lives? 

Giving Lord, who blesses us abundantly! We thank you for the unexpected revelations that come when they are most needed. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: The mystery of God is often revealed in the ordinary.

Raise your Ebenezer and remember! Pastor Liz