Here I raise my Ebenezer

I found myself, especially when driving, "beating myself up" over and over and over about past mistakes, then I'd remember to ask forgiveness, to put it in the past and then...go over the whole thing again at some later date.
One day, I had a different thought. How come I'm not remembering kind, thoughtful, helpful things from the past. I must have done something right. That helped identify the author of those remembrances and gave me some power over them. Aha, old slewfoot, I hear you and those things that are coming to mind are not from God and can have no more power over me. It helped.

Well,the carnival brought me here and I decided to stay and see what you had to say.... Great artilce. For me, I get discouraged when I look ahead and see how far I have to go in my sanctification.But when I look back and see how far He has brought me, I get energized! And I came to the church through AA. It does recommend getting involved in a local church. If I remember it is in the 11th step chatper.

I love that song- it has such a wonderful combination of joy and power.
I think I am coming to the place in my life of raising my Ebenezer. I never really knew the meaning of that part of the tune, but now I think it is when we found we have come through things and are standing in a place where because of what God has brought us through we are now hopeful that He will yet be the Finsiher as He has been the author.

Thank you for the point of reference, in this post.

I had been wondering what the line "Here I raise mine Ebenezer" meant for a while now, thanks for the reference. I too struggle with forgiving myself, even after God has forgiven me. But it's a relief to know He's taking me through life one step at a time. I don't think I could handle it any faster. :)

It is such an "honest" song of falling away and repenting continuously and having a God receive us back. I am "prone to wander" but HE keeps receiving me back. I wish to "raise my Ebenezer".

I am preparing for our Sunday worship service, and I chose Come Thou Fount as one of our hymns. Here I raise my ebenezer was befuddling me a bit, so I googled the phrase and wound up here. thanks for the ministry and the study.

Heart warming.

Thank you so much for your explanation of "Ebenezer"! I am a sign language interpreter for my church, and I always hate to see "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" on the list of songs for the morning. I never understood what it meant and had no idea how to sign it. Now I have a better idea. Thanks!

Can anyone tell me some information about the picture that is shown with the excellent reflective essay on an Ebenezer stone?

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing is one of my favorite hymns. Many of the new hynnals have rewritten the verse with Ebenezer in it, to say "Hitherto thy love has blest me; thou has brought me to this place." I guess it conveys the same meaning, but it seems like it loses its connection to the powerful scripture story of the Ebenezer stone.

I was in Mongolia last summer and saw many "ovoo"-- stone cairns erected as monuments to the spirit of a place. Some "ovoo" had crutches placed on them by people who had been healed of various diseases. I guess Tibetan Buddhism has its own version of an Ebenezer stone.

Hence my question about the photograph. Where was it taken? What is the significance of that particular stone? Does it have a story behind it? Is it a monument to the God of Israel and of Christ or was it erected by someone from a different background who was nonetheless expressing gratitude to the one and only God?

I used to have the phrase "prone to wander, Lord I feel it; prone to leave the God I love" running through my mind. But it bothered me because I feel I've left behind my heart wandering days.

Thanks to your insights on the Ebenezer stone I now have a fresh and positive perspective. (And a new phrase on my in-mind recorder.)

My Sister once said that I was afflicted with Wanderlust. I had always assumed that was because I loved to explore, had to move on every few years. This song, and particularly the verse "Prone to Wander Lord I Feel It, Prone to Leave the God I Love" is more that geographic wandering. It's wandering from God. We all have our moments, but I have really wandered in my life. "O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!" How great a debt that I can never repay for God's Grace, His Son, and for the Spirit that now dwells in me.

Thanks for the explanation! I've always wondered what it meant and so I Googled it and found you. Thanks!

My grandmother died and was laid to rest yesterday. She was as perfect as any person that ever walked the earth, save Jesus Christ. Kind and loving, meek and selfless. Sadness through separation will become happiness through reuniting. Thank you so much for your explanation of this line from my favorite hymn. It has brought me great comfort in a time of temporary loss and sorrow

Theophilus
(Pleasant Grove, Utah)

This spring we built a small park in the corner of our back yard, where we set up stones. I wanted this area to be a rememberance of what we believed and God's grace and goodness for generations to come. We have named this area our own "Ebenezer Park." Each one of our children and grandchildren have chosen their favourite stone as a celebration of their lives and God's goodness. Thanks and blessings.

Thank you for your reflections. This is a fresh site for me to find. Prone to Wander, Lord I feel it. . .This song has such great language, great truth, and such great imagery. I am an artist and I am working on a series of paintings on the concept of Ebenezer Stones. I would like to send people to this site to explain the work that I do.

Just what I needed today. All I did was do a google search for the words to that song. I was bored at work, and was wasting time, but it seems time well spent now. I guess we need to raise our Ebenezer every morning the moment we awake! Promise to walk the right way from the beginning.. Dedicate each day to Christ, and let him take control. Thank you!

I was wondering what I could base my sermon on since I wanted to let my members know how important it is to remember God's blessings and his goodness. This is exactly what I wanted. Thanks, may God's blessings be upon you continually.

Great essay and postings! I love the ebenezer story. Going through a very rough and depressing week in my life, I found a stone big enough to fit in the palm of my hand, and I held on to it in my times of sorrow, saying over and over to myself, "Thus far the LORD has brought me, and He will lead me through." I also remembered the Israelites' crossing of the Jordan where Joshua was told by the LORD to set up stones taken from the MIDDLE of the river while God held the waters back, a testimony of faith that God got them half way through the river and the best thing to do was to keep on walking forward, trusting Him to get them to the other side. That stone I held was so good for me as a tie to the LORD and His goodness at a time when I felt like I was coming apart and unattatched from all the good in my life. What emotional healing application the Ebenezer and Jordan stones have for us, and what great gifts from a truly awesome and wonderful God! Praise Him!

i was in prayer at church on 10/27 when i heard in my spirit the word Ebenezer spoken to me by the Holy Spirit. I had no clue what it meant until i began a search. Now i know what the Lord meant. He indeed is my HELPER

My husband and I love this song "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We were glad to find this site to explain "Here I raise my Ebenezer". The Lord's tender mercies truly get us through today's very difficult times just as he did anciently. Thanks.

Look for the rendition of "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing" by Sufjan Stevens. It is amazingly moving in its simplicity and its humility. I can't stop listening to it. It's on volume two of his Songs for Christmas.

Your blog on Ebenezer was good and helpful to me; I shared it with a men's group the other day. I have many personal Ebenezers; I plan to make a picture book of them.

http://SaintJamesPoetry.blogspot.com

http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/

http://jamesezadventures.blogspot.com/

This hymn is definitely one of my favourite ones of all time. When a friend asked me the meaning of Ebenezer, I realised I had no idea and that the only place I had heard that word was in "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." I googled the word and found your really inspiring blog. It has touched me so deeply and now the song has acquired an even deeper and more special meaning in my life.

God bless.

I always thought Ebenezer meant maybe a cup or mug that held some kind of liquid. I kind of always pictured pirates saying something like "Avast there ye maties, raise your Ebenezer's and have yer fill o ale" I'm pretty sure that's not what it meant, but it was funny to think about pirates in Church. Now I know the real meaning and it's not so funny.

Thanks for info! I had never bothered even to do a word search on my computer Bible to see the reference. Great site!!! First found it today! Thanks and may our LORD and Savior Christ Jesus bless you until we see each other over the bar.

Within the past 30 days the Lord has become such a wonder and blessing to me and has revealed Himself in a new way that only He could do. His blessings on my life are so remarkable that it reminded me that I needed to note the beginning of this period, and especially several days, with an Ebenezer stone.

The strong encouragement and power He has demonstrated to me is nothing less than a miracle so "Here I raise my Ebenezer" definitely will remind me of not where I have been and the many times I have not trusted Him but of the times when I fully trusted Him when there was only one set of footprints....HIS!!!

I had remembered this verse from the Bible and wanted to refresh my memory of its meaning so I ended up here on a Google search. Thanks for the short, but to the point, explanation. So wonderfully said.

My family and I have just moved and I feel God has brought me to a new place for a reason. I have been trying so hard to just trust his plan but have been feeling discouraged, not knowing why he has brought me here yet. this morning this song came into my head and i needed to know why. now i know...God has led me here because it is the beginning of a new era in my life where I am finally realizing that God needs to be the absolute center of my life, he has taken away the distractions and has brought me to a place where I can focus on and rest in Him. I know his plans are perfect and beyond my imagination. The Lord is truly good! Thanks for the information on this site.

Amanda,
My best friend has a similar story. She moved and it has been hard, but I definitely think he is doing exactly what you said...stripping away anything she is currently trusting in more than God so that he can be the source of every need and blessing in her life. That's amazing that you got in tune to that so quickly. Be encouraged that God is giving you his encouragement through this. Rom 8:28 - God has to allow the "bad" things into our lives. They are not just there because of other people's sin or tough luck. They are there on purpose and that's for our own good and that good is Christ being formed in us. Blessings to you!

I am waiting for our house to sell while my husband has started a new job in another state. When we embarked on this adventure earlier this year, I was certain that we were in God's will because of all the doors that opened for my husband. Having just read what Amanda posted in June, I pray that I will be able to say the same after I'm able to join my love. I don't know why God is taking us where we are going, but I know I must trust in his perfect purpose and his perfect timing. "Come thou fount" has always been one of my favorite hymns. God will help me and lead me safely home.

Hi,

We have a meeting place here i Aarhus, Denmark called Ebenezer and I was really just looking up our site before a general meeting in a couple of days. But found this site instead. Thank you so much. I have forewarded it to our chairman for inspiration for the assembly tuesday next.

Yours in motion in Christ
Anne Mette

You can listen to the great version of "Come Thou Fount" in A Thanksgiving of American Folk Hymns performed by th BYU Combined Choirs and Orchestra on YouTube.

It is presented by permission of the copyright owners.

we need prayers.

Thank you. I now know the meaning of my name and where it came from.

I sing in our congregation's choir and we are singing "Come Thou Fount" today in church. At practice last week no one knew the meaning of Ebenezer, so I googled it today. I love this article, and the idea of an Ebenezer as a sign of repentance and moving forward. I also very much appreciated the comment from christy, September 9, 2006 (above). I think I will find a stone today! Thank you!

I am the pastor of a new church in Chesapeake,Virginia begun in January of 2007. Today God,broke in on me while I was in prayer & begin to speak Ebenezer to me, letting me know this was the topic of my sermon for Sunday. It is very appealing for something we may take for granted & not know the true meaning of Ebenezer. Thanks so much for all the posted comments they are very interesting.
God's Blessings,,,,
Rev.Bill Mann
Abundant Life Tabernacle

Yesterday, at our church's Easter service we sang this hymn, "Come Thou Fount...", and I asked a friend from USA about the name, Ebenezer. He was also at a loss about its meaning. Thank you for your post & picture.

Pl continue with your good work. Thank God for christians of all races all over our world. It is truly heartening to know this during these troubled times we are having.

God bless!

"The stone that the builders rejected" is my Ebenezer!
God Bless

Thanks. How good to know what Ebenezer is... I love the hymn and your explanation.

I was reading Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris this morning and she talked about the hymn Come, thou fount of every blessing and the second verse being "Here I raise my Ebenezer. I googled the word and found your site. I have a very dear friend who has devoted his life on the words "the stone that the builders rejected" I have a ministry of stones that this man picks up on the beach that he sculpts Jesus on them. I give them to people who I think would benefit from them.

I am giving you this man's site that shows the work that he does. It is very inspiring and wouldn't do it any justice if I explained it. It is absolutely awesome. His name is Bob Tellier and the site is LivingStone Foundation. People have come from all over the world to see what he has done.

Sincerely, Margherite

I woke up this morning with the name ebenezer on my lips. I heard it as 'plant my ebenezer here'. I wondered what that name meant, and thought I had heard it in an old hymn, but didn't know what. After research led me to your site, I was pleased to read your discourse and see that so many others had been moved by the name, and connected to it in times when they felt tired and weary from long periods of darkness and falling back. I had wrote earlier today that I see my life unfolding with dark memories and sadnesses. I feel I have grew more in weaknesses and despair than in fruitfulness and joy. I wondered was I really living, or just slowly dying. I prayed for forgiveness and mercy. I told my wife I am quitting my beer drinking today. We joined a new church and faith yesterday. Maybe I need to plant my ebenezer today.

Over the past couple of years I have gone through tremendous struggles in every area of my life. It brought me to my knees again where I should have been all along. But God's grace has been more than sufficient to lead me to my current home and support me through it all. I'm naming my mini-farm Ebenezer and have rolled a large stone to the entrance of my driveway. Now whenever I leave or return I want to be reminded of the God who is Lord over all things and loves His own.

With Thanksgiving around the corner it surely is a time to reflect on our Lord and Savior , Jesus Christ who pulled me out of the mirey clay in 1988.

A life of loneliness, wandering, promiscuity, adultery, idolitry, clinical depression (total crash), this is where my Jesus picked me up the lost sheep, but I learned He had never left me I left Him and I have done it subtlelly numerous times as a Christian.

The past 2 weeks have brought me back to the place I need to be after hearing of the 5th suicide in my extended family. Come Thou Fount, an incredible song on my mind this past week has led me to search "Ebenezer" and brought me to your site. Thankyou for your great enlightenment and it has been by no coincidence, JESUS is my Rock my Stone my Ebenezer.

Turn to Him all you who are weak and heavy ladened, He is the WAY and you don't have to wait and find out the hard way like I did. THANKYOU for listening.

AMEN What an essay. Like everyone else, I knew the song and I heard it on the local IRN station and couldn't remember about Ebenezer. I googled and here I am. God is always at work is his wonderful ways. That phrase is all it takes to get people to refocus on Christ. I too have had many of the problems the other witnesses have stated. Thank you Lord, for everything.

My wife is divorcing me. There was a moral failure on my part that lead to it and she has hardened her heart against me. All this has led to my once stable, admired, and desired life to become an unbelievable three ring circus. Now, I too find myself in need of an Ebenezer. A marker that says the past is behind me and I must needs keep pushing on toward the prize. I've been wallowing in self-pity of late and that must stop. Here I raise MY Ebenezer. I will mourn the past but not live in it. My Ebenezer will mark the point where I stopped looking for comfort in the world (and even my wife) and where I finally, once and for all, look for it only in Christ.

I was reading Gary's comments of 14 November 2008 and I was overcome with tears of compassion. I felt prompted to pray for you and your family. It would seem that the Lord is ministering to your heart....I pray He will minister to your wife's also, so she can move forward with a mended heart and come to a place and say "Here I raise my Ebenezer" for truly God's grace and mercy has brought me through my pain. With a repentant heart, the Lord will turn around your past experiences for His good and He will release the ministry of reconciliation upon your life.

I have seen the word/name Ebenezer written in several places,this made me wonder what it means.I googled your site and only to learn that it is a name that has a heavenly meaning.

Am glad that i finally know what it means and signify.Thanx to your site. God bless you.

I am going through some changes in my life, not necessarily by choice, but pressing in and believing that God is in the midst of it all. I was reading 1 Samuel this morning and came across the scripture referencing Ebenezer. How I have missed that, lo these many years, I have no idea, but I know God wanted me to "get it" today. Desiring further study, I found your blog and was greatly inspired. It was such a confirmation of what God was showing me this morning. Even more interesting is how long ago your wrote this and how God continues to use it. Thank you.

Thanks for explaining what Ebenezer means! I am playing/ singing this song in church on Sunday, and I had no idea what it meant, so I figured I should look it up. Your explanation is great, and now the song is even more powerful and meaningful to me. God Bless!

The way God speaks to his people is quite unique. This verse is sang over and over by many Christians including my own family but sometime we dont actually reflect on what the true meaning is and as such condemn ourselves for the wrongs and forget the good. I am grateful for this commentry because it has opened my eyes to Gods faithfulness and mercies anew

Ebenezer,

Simon

I believe I have been led by God's Holy Spirit to this site. I have always known the meaning of Ebenezer- God has led us to this far- but tonight I felt like googling it to refresh my memory. Very inspiring thesis, and yes, I too will start my own Ebenezer. Sometimes we focus more on the bad/sad things in life whereas there are a lot of good things that happen to our lives by God's grace.

As a Christian from Swaziland, Southern Africa, I pray that God may help us as a nation to remember all the wonderfull blessings God has bestowed on us, and from there build a positive, brighter future for our people and future generations to come. We are where we are by God's grace, and we should never forget that because of crises we face as a nation. God has not forgotten about us, He loves us and we must return such love by respecting and living holy lives. Ebenezer, God has led the Swazi nation to this far. Amen.

Thank you! I came to Christ almost 3 years ago. Have heard the phrase "raise my Ebenezer" and all I could think of was "Scrooge", especially during the Christmas season. Needed to know what it meant.I definitely beat myself up and manage to circumcise or allow myself to be circumsized to the law. That take's away Christ's blessing in my life and is like telling God that I do not appreciate the gift of his son's life and the incredible forgiveness he offers.We all have that baggage we haul around with us. I am beginning to wonder what the extra baggage charges are going to be the next time I fly. Bad- Thank goodness God's mercy to me is greater than my mercy to myself...Peace- 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'Phil4:13

For those who hold the song dear to their hearts, a recent excellent and moving a cappella rendition can be found from the group Sonos on their 2010 release December Songs. Truly a melodious sonnet sung by flaming tongues above.

It's amazing how God guide us back into his fold. Coming across the word 'Ebenezer' in the song 'Come thou..' I had no idea the very word would help me reflect on things i was not able to come to terms to. thanks for the insight.

Good explanation. Today I learned the meaning of the Ebenezer.

My name is Ebenezer. I was wondering why my father gave me this name. I'm trying to find out what's the meaning of it and I was amazed about it. I want to know my purpose. I really thankful about this information.

Thank you for this blog! I was wondering about the phrase 'my ebenezer' and wanted to tell people the real meaning other than the name of scrooge and went through wikipedia before finding this site. It and all the posts above touched my heart, and I sent a link to a wonderful friend as well who I hope is well-moved and inspired by it as well! thank you

Thanks for reminder of where Ebenezer stone comes in the Bible. A reference to it in today's sermon prompted me to look for it as it seemed to be so important to remember. Time to read Samuel's story again.

I've recently been going through the process of learning complete trust in God. Yesterday, He allowed circumstances that brought me to my knees once again, in search of His peace. I was reminded of this word, Ebenezer, and of Samuel's declaration, "Thus far God has helped us!" I hope to never forget that it is GOD who helps me in every difficult time and every confusing circumstance. How it has built my faith to see others say the same!
Glory to God!

Lots of memories came flooding back upon me when I opened your site and relearned what I had forgotten for many years. Thank you and thank God.

I'm so glad I found your page. "Ebenezer" and remembering God's ever present help in our lives was a theme I wanted to use in our family worship to greet the New Year 2012. I forgot the book it originated from and had been searching Exodus and all the other books immediately adjacent to it. Never thought it was from Samuel :) Thanks!

I thought I was alone in this but now I know there are others out there who have the same thing gong on. I tend to remember all of my sins, or at least most of them and then I beat myself up over them. And then I realize that all of my sins have been forgiven. I know that God is faithful and has brought me out of all that muck. Of course I still sin but I know that they will all be for given.

Charlie,
Thank you for the explanation of Ebenezer. I am so grateful to God for having led me as a child to be taught about Jesus and having led me as a youth to believe in the second coming. I love this hymn. You have made its meaning so much clearer. I see in it so much about my journey to accept Baha u'llah by the grace of god and the guidance of Jesus. People who know that they are bound by God need to wake up every morning and be the raised Ebenezer, the stone of help. We are each a small stone that is tipped over by earthquakes and floods in our lives, but we have a new chance every waking day to stand it straight again and be a guidepost, a reminder of God's mercy. Though we "cannot proclaim it well," we are the "songs of loudest praise."

More on the AA experience: This is similar to what we do in the 10th Step - Take a personal inventory daily and when we are wrong, promptly admit it. This helps wash away the less than honorable activities we have engaged in daily.

Uganda will be celebrating 50 years of independence on 9th October 2012 and one of the ministers proposed that we need a national Ebenezer monument so I googled it and I can honestly say that it is the most inspirational and life changing material I have ever read on the internet.

I have been going through such a tough time for 6years now when I lost everything that I had and I know that all is about to change for the better and I need to raise my Ebenezer. I feel motivated and ready to move on without forgetting what I have been through so I have made a covenant with God and I am also starting my prayer journal from this day forward.

I know that God brought me to this site and I am very grateful for the change the above explanation has made in my life. Wow!!! I feel very positive.

Thank you so much for your beautiful message and explanation of Ebenezer. Now when I sing Come Thou Fount I will have a greater understanding of, and appreciation for, my Savior's grace and mercy and my commitment to always remember Him. I believe in Christ, but sometimes forget to believe Him when He says,"Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more."

God has led me to this site in like 2 clicks!! Such a balm and revelation. I need to establish my Ebenezer moments during this sojourn. I love the AA illustration. And I need to be forthright with my family and loved ones about what it means. Thank you for your blog post, I've had the suspicion this was a necessary step for a few years now, but didn't adequately act. You have shown me how and why it's so important to do so! Bless your soul!!!
I got to this site after watching a kenyangospel video on youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcBDbx8M9fA

We are singing "Come Thou Fount" in choir and every one was wondering what it meant when we sang Here I raise my Ebenezer. thank you for the answer. I have shared this with the choir.

Some lines of this hymn came to my mind this morning as I was looking to a fresh start for the new year. A review of what Ebenezer meant brought me to this site. I have a stone sitting on my shelf at work - I am going to call it my Ebenezer Stone and look to it often in this new year. It will be a reminder of the Lord who helps me, especially when I am prone to wander from moment-to-moment dependence on Him. I can get so easily overwhelmed with the daily demands and unfinished tasks and try so hard to catch up in my own strength... At the start of this New Year, 2013, I raise my Ebenezer!! Thank you.

I'm searching for stones to write God's blessing on to create a display (called My Ebenezer) on the dining room table at our new home. I want to create a family tradition of reviewing and recording blessings on Birthdays, holidays or whenever a blessing comes to mind. I plan to print out your post and use it as part of the display. (I'll make sure the appropriate citation and link are listed so others can find you here as well.) Thank you very much for sharing.