Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “thus far the Lord has helped us.”So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel (1 Samuel 7:12-13).
The word Ebenezer, literally means, “Stone of Help.” If we ever needed God, we need Him now! He has sent the Lord Jesus to us as a present help in time of trouble, a sure foundation, who is the Stone rejected by the builders. These are harsh times, an evil day, and things are sure to get worse! What is the Church to do? Many believers are saying, “I don’t know what to believe anymore,” so they make choices based on what seems right or from their natural proclivities. Many are simply following the crowd, regardless of the cost. Whatever trend that seems to hold their sense of normal in place or that gives some sense of stability, they gullibly accept it as though God’s will would be to choose one of the world’s options.
We who are in Christ have a better option than any of these we have laid out. The Apostle Peter gives us vital information in the following verses, “it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame’” (1 Peter 2:6). He also says, “Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed” (1 Peter 2:7-8).
Regardless of societal trends, we are to embrace, cling to, and follow the scriptures! The Word of God is a lamp to our feet, where we stand, and a light to our path, where we walk and live! We should never choose the world’s way, but always believe, regardless of what we encounter, because the Lord is our Ebenezer, “thus far the Lord has helped us,” and He will do it again!