O Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Here I raise my Ebenezer.
Hither by Thy 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
Interposed His precious blood.
 

This is the second verse of the song carrying the title of this article.  It is an old song written in 1758.  The author was Robert Robinson.  His story shows the power of the song.  It represents how songs and music can affect a person.
 
Robert loved God but he just kept messing up.  He was so conflicted because of his continuous failures.  Finally, he decided to give up the fight.  He chose to travel and, in effect like Job, run away from God because he was convinced that God could no longer use him.
 
He was riding in a stagecoach with a lady who was a lover of God.  She was reading something and suddenly spoke to him, “Listen to the words of this beautiful hymn.  Its so touching.”  She read this part of the song, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” 
 
Robert began to cry and the lady thought he was moved to tears by the words she had just read.  She had no idea that the was the author of the song!  His own song read by a stranger convicted him and he vowed to come back and live for the Lord.  He had written these words and then had gone away.  His return mirrored the words he had previously written.  So, what is “Ebenezer”?
 
I Samuel 7 tells the story of Samuel’s leadership helping the Israelites when the Philistines came against them.  Israel had been worshipping the Baals and Ashtoreths causing God to use the Philistines as His agent of discipline.  Now, the people wanted Samuel to cry out to the Lord for deliverance.
 
He called them together for a time of sacrifice and repentance.  The Philistines heard that the Israelites had assembled together and decided to attack them.  Israel shrunk back in great fear.  They called out to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
 
As the Philistines approached Israel, God “thundered with a loud thunder” upon the Philistines.  This confused them and Israel defeated them driving them back into their own territory.  Samuel set up a stone to mark the event and named it “Ebenezer”, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
 
What Ebenezer points can you name for your life?  What Ebenezer points has God placed before us that we can use and say, “The LORD has helped us”?  He has given us a home, a church, Christian friends, opportunities to name a few.  “Here I raise my Ebenezer.”

— Mike Johnson