Why Must I Remember?

“Here I raise my ebenezer, Lord,” I muttered as I hung up the phone after a hard conversation. “You have brought me to this place.” In the moment, I felt like the information shared on the phone was hopeless and scary, but I heard the Spirit whisper, “Didn’t I bring you here? Haven’t you seen me do battle here before?”

The story in 1st Samuel 7 of the Ebenezer stone being placed as a reminder of God’s salvation has always intrigued me. The Israelites had lost their unity with the Lord when they were ambushed by the Philistines. The idea of God saving them then had to be hard to swallow as they mulled over their sin and thought, “God won’t save us now! Not after what we’ve done!”

And yet, God didn’t simply save them, even when they had nothing to give Him in return. No, he saved them in such a way which made it impossible for them to take credit for their salvation in the future. After the event, Samuel erected the Ebenezer stone as a reminder that God helps, restores, and protects his children—always.

The Ebenezer stone stayed in place, and the children had two ways they could approach its reminder. Either they could remember the pain, panic, and disunity of the event, or they could remember the character of the God behind their salvation.

We all have “Ebenezer stones” in our lives. Those reminders can fill us with dread and regret of our past. Or, those reminders can whisper, “The God who did the impossible once can do it again.” Either way, when God brings you back to remember those painful moments, he is with you—and he never leaves you.