Quarantine Quiet Time -- Ebenezer Moments

Quarantine Quiet Time: Ebenezer Moments 

Psalm 121

The Psalmist begins by saying. “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills…”  He was far from Jerusalem; he could see the hills, but he wasn’t there yet.  He was distanced from the house of worship, but he wasn’t distanced from his God – the true source of his help.

We note that he did not stop as he gazed at the hills, although he longed to see his beloved Jerusalem. Instead, his gaze and his heart were fixed on Yahweh – the covenant keeping God – the God who always keeps His promises.  His promises are legion – “I will never leave you …” (Hebrews 13:5)  “My peace I give you…” (John 14:27) “I will strengthen you…”  (Isaiah 41:10) “I will hold you with my righteous right hand…” (Isaiah 41:10) 

…

It is true that the temple of God  was a source of delight and belonging, but nothing could match the splendor of the God of the temple.  It is on Him that our gaze should be fixed.

The word help is “nezar” … think Ebenezer. This may be an allusion to the event in I Samuel where the Lord gave a momentous victory to His people and they erected a monument to His help – a stone named Ebenezer – “hitherto has the LORD helped us” (I Samuel).

In these days of confinement and quarantine, I am reminding myself the Lord is my help, and I need  to look for and note those Ebenezer moments – no matter how small they seem.

Quarantine Quiet Time April 23

Quarantine Quiet Time

I know it’s been many days since you have heard from me. To be honest, I have been struggling with fear, depression, and uncertainty. As a result, I have attempted to lose myself in my work.  Then a couple of days ago, I came across the concept of renting the Word of God – His precepts and promises. (Sister Chicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn). In my opinion, renting the promises of God means that although, I am seeking to memorize many verses of Scripture and reading faithfully, unless I lay hold of them for me and allow my focus to be on the Word of God, I am experiencing content without reality.  It was then I realized where I had allowed  my mind and heart to dwell and repented.

I have decided to start anew reading the Psalms of Ascent.  Those are the Psalms that we believe the Jewish people sang as they made their way to Jerusalem on the major Feast Days that they commemorated each year. These Psalms begin with Psalm 120 and go through Psalm 134.

Here are my thoughts from Psalm 120.  The Psalmist begins with the words, “In my distress, I cried to the LORD…”  These days of quarantine bring unwelcome thoughts to one who struggles with mild depression.” For the child of God, the best thing to do is to cry out to the Lord. He will answer … not by removing the quarantine, but most likely through His Word and the  the Body of Christ.  These ways include  but are not limited to the following: an encouraging email, a text from a friend, an encouraging Facebook post, and above all a promise from His Word, that we begin to own and not just rent.

The second thing the Psalmist notes is that the LORD rescues us from lying lips. This includes statements from the media, who knows what to believe?  I must take multiple conspiracy theories; again,  who knows what is true – what is actually a conspiracy theory? I have made the conscious choice to distance myself from social media. If I want to check it, I sent a timer and when it sounds, I am usually done. It is taking discipline, but oh how it is worth it.

The third thing the Psalmist bears out is that I must choose peace. I know I have peace with God because I trust in the finished work of Christ alone for my salvation. Now, I must seek and choose the peace of God and allow Him to drive fear from my heart. It’s a constant struggle, but one I am slowly learning in these days.

Will you allow Him to drive fear from your heart and replace it with His peace?