Thus Far the Lord Has Helped Us

I have had a rough five years. A lot of times of change, hurt, betrayal, quite a few deaths of friends and family, and a lot of aches and pains and fears. There were many times when I felt hopeless and afraid.  There were times when I felt like God had given up on me. I felt like my prayers stopped at the ceiling, felt like there was no God anyway, and He didn't hear my prayers.

I should have known better. Because I now know with all my heart that He not only heard me, but He was beside me the entire way.

And now five years later, I can say with absolute certainty that God had His mighty hand on my the entire time, even when I was positive that I was alone and lost.

Last week I made this stone, as a gift to the Lord, remembering the story out of 1 Samuel 7, when Samuel set a stone in rememberance of the Lord's help:

 

⁷ When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. ⁸ They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.

¹⁰ While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[b] saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
1 Samuel 7

The Lord rescued me. And I am forever grateful.