Ebenezer: thus far has The Lord helped us (1 Samuel 7)

In 1 Samuel 7:12 we see Samuel erecting a stone of remembrance. It struck me today that the reason he does this is precisely because we tend to forget. God’s people have just been delivered because despite marginalising the presence of God they have repented, prayed, and fasted.

But how easy it is to quickly forget the feelings of gratitude that most of us do feel when God answers our prayers. That job which we were given by God over time becomes in our mind a burden we wish we were rid of. Or we start to feel like we were the ones who have proven to be so successful.

Samuel by example urges us to pause, consider carefully and thank God for all he has done for us. We should count our blessings and use our memories of what God has done for us in the past to inspire us towards increased faith.

There is something quite pitiful about us when we take God for granted. I know I can be guilty of this sometimes. This failure to appreciate Gods benefits towards us reminds me of an old Monty Python sketch for some reason: “what did the Romans ever do for us?”