Raise Your Ebenezer

I've always love the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". Tears come to my eyes every time I sing the phrase "prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love". But right now a different stanza strikes me: "Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by thy help I come". I've never understood that line, and even though someone told me once upon a time what an ebenezer was, it didn't mean much. But it does now. In 1 Sam 7:9-14, Samuel is sacrificing offerings to the Lord on behalf of Israel. While they're gathered, the Philistines come, ready to attack. God, in a way only God can, throws the Philistines into confusion and the Israelites end up chasing them down and defeating them. They return, and in gratitude and hope place a stone on the battle field that Samuel calls "Ebenezer" meaning the Lord has helped us.

I was explaining to a friend this week how God's been working in my heart; delivering me from some crap and gently leading me to repentance & rest. I told her I felt like God had lightened my heart. Not just changed my mood or circumstances or took away a burden, but actually lightened my heart (which, for those of you who know me and know my struggles with depression, a light heart is a huge deal). The next day, she sent me this quote by Kathleen Norris from a chapter entitled "My Ebenezer":

There is a powerful moment in any religious conversion, in which a person realizes that all of the mentors, and all that they have said, all of the time spent in reading scripture, or engaged in what felt like stupid, boring, or plain hopeless prayer, has been of help after all. It is nothing you have done, but all of it is one event, God's being there, and being of help. The enemies you were facing, whatever obstacles seemed amassed against you, even your own confusion, have simply vanished. And you are certain that it is God who has brought you to this moment, which may even feel like victory.

For this ever searching, sometimes too intense individual, a light heart, given by Him, is victory indeed!

So, on this day of Thanksgiving, I pray you'll reflect on the myriad of ways He's been your help and deliverer and raise your own Ebenezer to the Only One worthy.

Withholding

"Your kindness, Lord, leads us to repentance..." Chris Tomlin (based on Romans 2:4)

I got a letter from the IRS yesterday. It struck fear in my heart. Was it an audit? Did I forget to file something? What did I screw up? With trepidation, I opened it; it was just my 1096 forms. Whew.

I don't know why I was scared; there's nothing to hide. But I know I'm bad at tax stuff. I never know what numbers to write where and anytime I'm asked about withholding, the whole concept has to be explained to me again. Do zero exemptions mean you get more money or less? I never know. After years of doing a lot of my own stuff, I'm still hopelessly lost in the world of numbers & finance.

And after years of knowing & trusting Christ, I seem to also still be hopelessly lost in the spiritual world too. Thank God for His patience and mercy that's new every morning...because I need it every morning.

Over the last few weeks, God's kindness, patience, and mercy has lead me to a place of repentance. Through some wonderful circumstances that were orchestrated by Him, He's convicted me of a withholding problem I have. No, not taxes, but I realized I've been withholding many important things from a lot of people in my life. I've been withholding love, time, money, energy, encouragement, Truth...all because of my own fears, insecurities, and selfishness.


Thank God He intervenes and doesn't let us stay the way we are. Thank God He doesn't withhold any good thing from us! Thank God that His kindness leads us to repentance.

Free Life

For those of you who know me, you know I love music--all kinds. Thanks to my younger friends, I'm into this thing right now called "Pandora Radio" or the Music Genome Project. You can create your own radio stations based on songs, artists or genre's. The beauty of the site is that it kicks out music that you may or may not be familiar with so you get to hear lots of "new" artists without buying complete cd's.



Anyway, the last few days I've been listening to The Pogues radio (they're an Irish band) which plays not only the Pogues, but groups whose sound is similar.



One of the songs that keeps popping up is called "Free Life" by Dan Wilson. The words of the chorus struck me:



And in the air the questions hang

Will we get to do something?

Who we gonna end up being?

How we gonna end up feeling?

What you gonna spend your free life on ?



What you gonna spend your free life on? That question rings in my ears and pierces my heart. Firstly do I live free? and if so, What do I spend this free life on? Empty dreams, vain pursuits, right living, self preservation, self protection, doing good, being better?



As I'm writing, trying to think of a way to wrap this up, another song comes to mind...Yahweh by U2:





Take these shoes

Click clacking down some dead end street

Take these shoes

And make them fit



Take this shirt

Polyester white trash made in nowhere

Take this shirt

And make it clean, clean



Take this soul

Stranded in some skin and bones

Take this soul

And make it sing



Yahweh, Yahweh

Always pain before a child is born

Yahweh, Yahweh

Still I'm waiting for the dawn



Take these hands

Teach them what to carry

Take these hands

Don't make a fist no



Take this mouth

So quick to criticise

Take this mouth

Give it a kiss



Yahweh, Yahweh

Always pain before a child is born

Yahweh, Yahweh

Still I'm waiting for the dawn

Still waiting for the dawn,

the sun is coming up

The sun is coming up on the ocean

His love is like a drop in the ocean

His love is like a drop in the ocean

Yahweh, Yahweh

Always pain before a child is born

Yahweh, tell me now

Why the dark before the dawn?



Take this city

A city should be shining on a hill

Take this city

If it be your will

What no man can own, no man can take

Take this heart

Take this heart

Take this heart

And make it break