Ebenezer Stones

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us.’” - 1 Samuel 7:12

God is so good. While doing the last lesson in the I AM Bible study, I was looking over past blog posts. I saw my struggles & prayers in waiting on God’s timing for the next leg of the journey in His will for me, which reminded me of how He has come through thus far & how great & faithful our God truly is!

Combined with worship this morning & evening as well as fellowship during lunch, it’s been a wonderful & impacting day! My faith has grown tonight & I trust that God is growing my passion for Him again as well. Praise God! He has been answering prayers & speaking to me & renewing me this week in so many ways, & today was a great continuation of that!

Past blog posts can serve as “Ebenezer stones” (thank you, Jon, for first telling me what these are!) They surely remind me of the times when God has come through & that He is faithful in EVERY promise He makes!

Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help I’ve come… (from the hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing“)

I AM - A Set Up for a Show Up

On to chapter three of Lisa’s I AM Bible Study: I AM - Your Fame. This is lesson nine, “A Set Up for a Show Up.” Excerpt:

When an oppression is set up, whether it originated in heart of God or the hate of Satan, expect God to show up. He will. Every.single.time. Our responsibility is to make sure people know what He did for you when He got there.

“I AM your fame, and thou art mine.”

Blessed be Yahweh!

Discussion Questions

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how often your conversation is seasoned with the works of the Lord on your behalf? If you speak very little of Him, is there a reason you know of? If you speak often, how do people respond?

Maybe a 7… Usually, if I am sharing with a fellow Christian, they are happy with me; if with a non-believer, sometimes they come back with “well, you prepared or handled that well,” etc., to which I usually again remind them that no, I couldn’t have done it without God!

2. Have you experienced a Set Up for a Show Up when you were uncertain whether the situation was the chastisement of the Lord or a temptation of Satan?

When I was struggling with God having revealed His calling for me according to His will, but yet struggling through the fact that it wasn’t surely yet coming to pass. But it was only months later that He moved me to the next leg in the journey, which is always encouraging even through struggles!

3. Have you ever or are you now experiencing any Job trials where you can still not identify any wrong-doing on your part?

Not that I considered trials, but just parts of the progress toward the next leg in the journey.

4. Apply this principle: How can my response make my God famous? Will obedience result in my sanctification and God’s Glory?

By persevering despite feelings, down days & hardships — by keeping faith & trust despite circumstances & living this! & through this, God can continue to transform my mind & heart, so that I can truly live by faith & not by sight, feeling or circumstance.

5. Does the origin of our affliction matter in view of the fame God can gain from it?

No. All in all, as Romans 8:28 states, God uses all things for our good for those who love Him!