“Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it Ebenezer (stone of help), saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (I Samuel 7:12 Amplified Version)
Toward the end of the month, on September 29 to be more precise, I plan to begin a sermon series entitled, “Das Far.” I know technically, looking at the verse above, it should say, “Thus Far,” but I just wanted to get your attention and use a snippet of the four semesters of college German I had to take to meet a foreign language requirement for graduation.
I won’t start preaching this Saturday morning but let me do a little teaching that might put you in a spirit of thanksgiving. And, since you will be in a spirit of thanksgiving after reading this brief meditation, I am sure that you will be heading to the house of the Lord tomorrow, Sunday, to express your thanksgiving, gratitude, and praise to the Lord.
“Ebenezer,” the name of the stone in the verse above, means, “Thank God for the things He has done for us till the present time.” Whatever your situation is today, you have to recognize that you would not be where you are if the Lord had not brought you, brought you “Das Far.” If He had not given you the victory over your internal and external foes, victories over the satanic and secular antagonists you have faced, think where you would be today, especially if the Lord had not brought you “Das Far.” You have had gains, and you have had losses, you have been up, and you have been down, but you are still persevering with the help of the Lord. You have faced minor challenges and major challenges, encountered storms and sickness, but you are still able to press on because of the intervention of the Lord. You started this Christian journey, perhaps with some doubts, and some questions to be answered, but you have made progress, progress by an accentuated faith, a faith strengthened by your experiences with Our God, the One who will never leave you or forsake you. Oh, my! Just think! Where would we be if it had not been for the Lord who has brought us “Das Far!”
Listen! You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to praise Him! You can stop what you are doing, wherever you are right now, at this very moment, and give the Lord some kind of praise. Perhaps it will be a silent praise in the workplace or a meeting room. If perchance you are in a hospital, and you are in a quiet area, or you may even be recovering in a hospital bed and you have experienced the blessing of seeing another day, regardless of what you are confronted with health wise, you can still give God some kind of praise. He is due that, don’t you think? Well, if you can do nothing else, just raise your hand, look to the One from whom our help comes from, it comes from the Lord, and say three sincere words aloud at a volume your praised filled heart, turned up to the highest decibel of sincerity, and say, “Thank You Lord!” For you know I’m right when I say, “The Lord has brought us a mighty long way,” a way that we can call “Das Far.” Doesn’t that get you excited! Isn’t that shouting stuff!
Well, the good news on top of what the Lord has done for you in the past, know that He is not done helping you, not done attending to you, not done comforting you, not done interceding in the normal course of events for you. The latter points to miracles! Praise the Lord!
Now join the saints in worship tomorrow. Don’t you dare miss unless you really, really, really, cannot get out of where you reside. Don’t miss because God has been good to you, and He has brought you “Das Far!” Be blessed!
“We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord. Trusting In His holy word. He’s never failed us yet.” (Lyrics by Albert A. Goodson, 1956)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King