“Make your life a memorial of God’s faithfulness, so those who follow won’t forget.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 17, 2022
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us. 1 Samuel 7:12
My wife Rita is brilliant at being an intentional grandparent. She invested six months into planning a four-day trip to Washington D.C. with our two oldest grandchildren (Lily-12 and Hudson-11). Wow, what memories we made! In preparation for our adventure to the nation’s capital, each grandchild researched the monuments with inscribed Christian references. For example, “in the Washington Monument not only are numerous Bible verses and religious acknowledgements carved on memorial blocks in the walls, including the phrases: “Holiness to the Lord” (Exodus 28:26, 30:30, Isaiah 23:18, Zechariah 14:20), “Search the Scriptures” (John 5:39), “The memory of the just is blessed” (Proverbs 10:7), “May Heaven to this Union continue its beneficence,” and “In God We Trust”, but the Latin inscription Laus Deo – “Praise be to God” – is engraved on the monument’s capstone.” Lily and Hudson’s enthusiasm infected all of us including our tour guides! The Bible Museum guide was delighted by their insightful questions.
In celebration of the Lord’s faithfulness, Samuel erected a monument as a memorial for generations to follow. The phrase “Here I raise mine Ebenezer/ hither by thy help I’m come” was made famous by the old hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” The author, Robert Robinson, a British pastor in the 1700’s, was converted under the preaching of George Whitefield. Robinson was unique in that he did not possess a formal education and was a barber’s apprentice. Yet, after his conversion, he followed a call by God to pastor a Baptist church for 35 years. Because of his wayward days before Christ, he penned another meaningful stanza to which many believers can relate, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”
“Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were” (Psalm 39:12).
As we toured and took notice of the many memorials that define our country’s origins, my heart contemplated on our nation’s tendency to wander from the Lord, prone to leave the God we once loved. I prayed for other bold spokesmen, like George Whitefield and Robert Robinson, to remind us of our Christian heritage. For humility and repentance to begin in our churches. I prayed for our grandchildren to experience an “Ebenezer” in our family—an assurance that the Lord Jesus Christ is our rock, refuge and help in time of need. And I prayed for myself to be a grandparent who models the way of love so following Jesus is attractive for generations to come.
Are you intentional as a grandparent to prepare the way of Christ for your children and grandchildren? Start by asking the Lord for His heart for your grandchildren and how He would like for you to love them uniquely and equally. Learn from other grandparents the ways they are learning to love their grands well. Be creative. Be generous. Budget big dollars to invest in little lives that one day by God’s grace will be giants of the faith—fearless and compassionate for Jesus Christ! Make your life a memorial of God’s faithfulness, so those who follow won’t forget.
“They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer” (Psalm 78:35).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, give me the humility and wisdom to be intentional with my children and grandchildren, through Christ’s love and in Jesus’ name, amen.
Application
Check out this website on: Spiritual Heritage and Government Monuments
Related Reading
Psalm 77:3; Isaiah 17:10, 46:9; Ephesians 2:12
Worship Resource
Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes: The Blessing/Worship School
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