Up To This Point

1 Samuel 7:12     Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means "the stone of help"), for he said, "Up to this point the LORD has helped us!"

The beginning of each year usually means a point of reflection. What has our life been like up to this point? What have we accomplished up to this point? What has been a character quality we have not disciplined up to this point? What do we still lack in our lives up to this point?

We make “New Year’s resolutions.”  That means from this point on we want to make certain changes permanent.

I don't like to make resolutions I can't possibly keep. One year my resolution was, “learn to like Jello.” Once the resolution was, “learn to drink coffee black.”

Now I can look back at a time when I couldn't stand the feeling of Jello in my mouth and I had to have additions to make coffee drinkable. Those were very minor changes I was able to accomplish. But there are big things I need help with that I don’t make resolutions about. This is where my study of 1 Samuel 7:12 comes to the forefront.

Samuel took the Children of Israel back to a time when they desperately needed God to help them conquer their old enemies, the Philistines. When God and only God delivered victory, Samuel put up a stone marker to be a permanent reminder that God helped. The people could always go back to that physical reminder that their God was a God that helped. God could be depended upon to help in their future because He helped in the past. God could be trusted for help in the future based on His faithfulness of past help.

I was reminded to look back at my life and remember the times I desperately needed God’s help and God, being God, did help me. Wow, God has delivered me through some tough times. I can put up mental markers of those times when God helped me. And this helps me be assured that in the future God will be there to help.

I don't always keep my resolutions that I think are accomplishable but God will always help in areas of my life that are beyond my control. When I needed help He has always been there and will continue to be there. When I need help in this year to come the Lord God will be there helping me.

Looking at the past is a kind of guarantee for the future.

Up to this point the Lord has helped me.

He will continue to help in the future 

so that this time next year I can say,

“Up to this point the Lord has helped me.”