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.
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