No, I’m not recounting the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge this week. Rather, I’d like to talk about milestones in life. This is a time of year when thousands of young (and older) people across our land are celebrating the completion of their educational degree. Some are graduating from high school or college while others are even celebrating kindergarten (I had one of those in my house this year). Some achieved high honors in their education while others emerged with a degree feeling as though they have just completed a run of the gauntlet. Regardless of the circumstances, all graduates have something in common – a degree, a ceremony, a milestone of their achievement and success.

It is appropriate for we as Christians to stop and recognize these milestones in life. We even sing about it! Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing was written in 1758 by Robert Robinson. The second verse may sound cryptic to our modern ears, but contains some key scriptural truths about this topic.

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I've come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home

The “Ebenezer” in this famous hymn refers to a Hebrew name given to a monument erected by the prophet Samuel after God allowed the Israelites to defeat the Philistines in battle (1 Samuel 7:1-14). He erected this stone calling its name Ebenezer, “saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us” (v. 12). While we don’t typically erect stones and name them today, it is still important to recognize the achievements and milestones in our lives for several reasons that we can glean from this text.

1. An Acknowledgement – Note that this Ebenezer stone was to recognize that the Lord helped them in this battle. Taking time to celebrate a hard-earned achievement in life is appropriate as long as we acknowledge that it is by the Lord’s help that it has been achieved. In other words, don’t take personal credit for what the Lord has allowed you to do in you, through you, and for you.


2. A Reminder – The Philistines were a formidable enemy for the Israelites (you may remember Goliath?!). Just prior to this story, they had successfully won a number of battles and even stolen the ark of the covenant for a time. The Israelites had to work hard, suffer defeats and ultimately learn to rely on the Lord for victory. The Ebenezer was a remembrance of where they had come from.


3. An Encouragement – The giant Ebenezer stone wasn’t the end of the story for the nation of Israel. God had much in store for them in the future (including the preservation of the scriptures and the coming Messiah!). After acknowledging the Lord’s help and remembering how far He had brought them, the stone was designed to be an encouragement that the Lord was with them today and would be in the future as well.

So, in this season where we celebrate educational accomplishments, cherish our long-awaited diplomas and mark milestones in life, let’s also remember that the source of every blessing and accomplishment in life is the Lord himself. He is the one who has brought you out of your past, will be with you through each day and has something for you to achieve in the future for His glory. As the hymn writer has stated….