Ebenezer who?!

One of my favourite hymns has the line: “Here I raise my Ebenezer…” I dare say I’m not the only one who’s sung it and struggled to get thoughts of A Christmas Carol (for me, the Muppets version of course) out of my head, whilst thinking, “Who knows what that means? Oh, the song’s over.”

Ebenezer is a Hebrew word which means, “Stone of Help”. Here’s where it’s from:

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the Lord helped us”.

(1 Samuel 7:12)

Samuel chose the appropriate word to name his monument, which celebrated his experience of the Lord God’s help up to that point. It was a tumultuous time in the history of God’s people. But Samuel was enjoying the goodness and faithfulness of God and so “raised his Ebenezer”.

Here’s that song again:

“Here I raise my Ebenezer,

Hither by thy help I’ve come.

And I hope, by thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.”

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, by Robert Robinson, 1757. Here’s a version that I enjoy.

Well, here - in Dakar, Senegal - I raise my Ebenezer! I’m only stepping over the start-line of this initial 3-year term in the Gambia (where I travel on to tonight), but I’m very conscious of God’s good shepherding care as I look back on all the preparations and leaving the UK, and as I’ve travelled on the boat: “hither by thy help I’ve come”.

And that “hope” for the future in the song isn’t wishful thinking. It’s the certain hope that comes from knowing God’s sovereign control and fatherly kindness.  So I look to him and trust him for what’s ahead.

Arriving in Dakar

A word on the rest of the voyage: 

I’m really thankful for a smooth and happy journey. It was 14 days in all, and I hugely appreciated the opportunity to stop, think and pray as I transition from UK life to the Gambia.

We came into port in Dakar, under pouring rain, yesterday morning. After many hours of waiting I was allowed off! I then met friends of friends of a friend, who took me to the SIL Centre in Dakar where I’ve been well looked after, and from where I’ll travel with a Gambian friend (who works here) to the Gambia tonight.

I’m putting together a short video of the voyage, to share the experience… Coming soon!