Normally I’m not in favor of using “Christianese.” You know, the weird language that us Christians use with one another. We say things like “fellowship together” instead of “hang out.” We use big words like sanctification or redemption. We drop Holy Spirit bombs, saying things like “the holy spirit told me…”
That last one actually makes my skin crawl.
To be clear, I one hundred percent believe that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in this world. I believe we should absolutely pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives.
But I have BIG RED WARNING SIGNS when someone claims that the Holy Spirit is telling them what I should be doing.
Like I said, I’m not normally in favor of using the Christian language that so often makes boundary lines clear between who’s in and who is out. For more on this, see Jen Hatmakers awesome Facebook post on this topic.
BUT, I have an affinity for the word Ebenezer.
Ebenezer is a word used in 1 Samuel 7:12. For some context: Israel, God’s chosen people, who had previously abandoned God had returned to Him. The prophet (someone who speaks God’s word to a people) Samuel, had told them to turn back with their whole hearts and get rid of all of their other gods. And they were doing it. Yay Israel!
Right in the midst of them turning back, a big army assembles against them. They are terrified. They come to Samuel and ask him to intercede to God on their behalf. And God delivers the Israelites by thundering with a loud thunder and causing the other army to panic and run. And if you just read that sentence and didn’t realize the weight of what God did, please read it again. The Israelites didn’t make a plan. They didn’t assemble. GOD did the work. BY THUNDERING!
So, in verse 12, the prophet Samuel sets an ebenezer, a stone to help them remember what God did for them. Ebenezer literally means “stone of help.”
Why do I love this word? Because the older I get, the more I’m trying to remember. Not in a “remember the good old days” kind of way. I want to remember all of the things God has done in my life. How often does God do something amazing, only for me to forget 48 hours later? Too often.
It happened recently. It involved some difficulties I was experiencing in my life. I was tired and weary. After following wise advice, I’d stood my ground in a difficult situation. I hadn’t caused division, but sought unity.
And I felt all the good things slipping away. I was disturbed by the negativity creeping into my job. Whispered conversations, division, manipulation on staff. Instead of cheering one another on, we were looking to critique others. This felt wrong in a church. I was ready to walk away.
In an unremarkable early morning moment, a verse was delivered to me. Psalm 37 simply appeared on the locked screen of my phone, the morning after I’d asked God for guidance.
5Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
My jaw dropped when I read it. My heartbeat picked up. I read it again. An arrow of conviction pierced my heart. My insides told me that leaving my job wasn’t an option. God was asking more of me.
I spent two more days arguing with God about the wisdom of continually placing myself at risk of manipulation. I’d expected him to rubber stamp approval of my plan to walk away…but he was clear. I needed to stay. So on the morning of the 2nd day, after spending time in Psalm 37, I told God that I would be obedient…BUT I was also claiming verse 10 as a promise. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
I prepared myself for the difficulty of continuing to work with a person who so easily slipped into manipulating others. Who engaged in negative back room conversations about our leaders. I knew that God was asking me to step into the tension of seeing this person as a child of God while refusing to engage in the behaviors.
I returned to work, sure in God’s hand but unsure of what to do.
The first day brought more anxiety, a racing heart and a shaken resolve to maintain good boundaries. I didn’t act any differently. I didn’t move to fight. I simply asked God to fight this battle and show me my part.
Day two…well that’s the day I want to remember. Day two was the day the man resigned.
Just like that.
I didn’t have to fight because God was fighting for me the whole time.
The LORD had helped me.
That is worth remembering. Waiting patiently for the LORD is ALWAYS worth it. He is ALWAYS faithful.
If I’d tried to maneuver…tried on my own to bring my concerns to light, I would have missed the miracle.
It was not two days later, when that same man once again tried to bully his way through a meeting and my blood was starting to boil…when I realized that I’d already forgotten what God had done.
I didn’t need to point out his scheming. God would reveal his character. I needed to trust what he was doing in the invisible.
Which is why I’m sharing this story. I want to remember the times that God THUNDERS for me, so that when I face my next challenge I will see my ebenezer and remember to engage in trusting God. He is ALWAYS faithful.
Sarah J Boonstra 