Ebenezer: Thus Far The LORD Has Brought Us!
“Ebenezer, thus far The LORD has brought us. Ebenezer, thus far The LORD has helped us! (1 Samuel 7:12).
It is the last day of 2019, and we are alive and well in Christ Jesus. Thank You, LORD!
Think about it: Just the other day, it was 1st January 2019, and now, just now, today is 31st December 2019! (The days are being shortened by The LORD for the sake of us His elect, (Matthew 24:22)).
“Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But to Your Name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth.” Psalm 115:1.
We are BOUND, yes we are OBLIGATED to give thanks to God, (2 Thessalonians 2:13).
We ought to give thanks to The LORD God Almighty for preserving us, for protecting us, for providing for us.
Bless The LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name! Bless The LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed, (Psalms 103:1-6).
Truly, The LORD is our Ebenezer! Oh, He IS!
Ebenezer, אֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר, (‘eben hâ‛êzer, eh’-ben haw-e’-zer) means “Stone of help“, thus referring to Jesus Christ The “Living Stone”, The “Chief Cornerstone” (1 Peter 2:4-7); yes, The Stone of help to us.
Jesus said of Himself: “The stone which the builders rejected Has become The Chief Cornerstone. This was The LORD ’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes,” Matthew 21:42.
Brethren, no matter what your situation has been, or is, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Furthermore, we are commanded to be “giving thanks always for all things to God The Father in The Name of our LORD Jesus Christ,” (Ephesians 5:20).
Thus, we give thanks IN everything, and we give thanks FOR all things — “all things that pertain to life and Godliness,” (2 Peter 1:4).
Thanksgiving greatly pleases our God and makes Him move swiftly on our behalf.
A few years ago, I watched the testimony of a brother in an old recording of “Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural” via the ISN app. The brother, an American, was a missionary serving in Israel together with his wife. (They were a young couple).
He said they had great financial lack. But whenever they received, say, even one dollar, they spent time giving thanks to The LORD for that one dollar.
Subsequently, they needed to travel to the USA. While going, he had a call from a woman. She sounded very angry on the phone. She was commanding him not to come back to Israel, because they (the missionary couple) were disturbing them.
Who are you?
She said she was a witch, and that she and her convent were the cause of their (the missionary couple’s) financial lack.
However, every time they (the missionary couple) were thanking God fervently, their (the witches’) curses against the missionary couple did not work, but rather backfired on them.
Thanksgiving is a great spiritual weapon, mighty in God.
In Luke 17, our LORD Jesus Christ greatly emphasised the need for us to give thanks to God always.
“Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”” Luke 17:11-19.
Thanksgiving is indispensably important, both in spirit and in the flesh.
So, please, as we wrap up 2019 and enter 2020, let’s give thanks to God fervently, gratefully.
Therefore, right now, right here on this page, let us join our voices and say:
“Oh, give thanks to The LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to The LORD of lords! For His mercy endures forever: To Him who alone does great wonders, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who by wisdom made the heavens, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who laid out the earth above the waters, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures forever — the sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures forever; the moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy endures forever.
To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, for His mercy endures forever; and brought out Israel from among them, for His mercy endures forever; with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who divided the Red Sea in two, for His mercy endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for His mercy endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who led His people through the wilderness, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who struck down great kings, for His mercy endures forever; and slew famous kings, for His mercy endures forever — Sihon king of the Amorites, for His mercy endures forever; and Og king of Bashan, for His mercy endures forever — And gave their land as a heritage, For His mercy endures forever; A heritage to Israel His servant, for His mercy endures forever.
Who remembered us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever; and rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy endures forever; Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to The God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever!” Psalm 136:1-26.
The Bible says that Samuel took a stone and set it up, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us…..” 1 Samuel 7:12.
Ebenezer was the very place where Israel was hitherto heavily defeated by the Philistines and The Ark of God captured (1 Samuel 4). They (the children of Israel) had been adulterous with foreign gods, worshipping demons.
But when they returned to the LORD of hosts at the judging and urging of Samuel, their place of defeat became their place of VICTORY! (Please read 1 Samuel 7:1-14).
My dear brother, my dear sister, search your heart and life.
What went wrong, what did you get wrong in 2019 (and even previously)?
Ask The LORD to reveal it to you by His Holy Spirit. (There could even be ancestral demonic covenants at play. Renounce, disallow and destroy them by The Blood of Jesus Christ).
Repent. Apply and plead The Blood of Jesus, and do not cease to cry out to The LORD.
Surely, as The LORD lives, your place of defeat will become your place of VICTORY! Hallelu-YAH!
See you next year, 2020!
“The LORD Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:22.
“Farewell” Acts 15:29.
~ Jacob Awagah
“And having been perfected, He became The Author of Eternal Salvation to all who obey Him,” Hebrews 5:9.
So beautiful. Thank you brother.