Here I Raise Mine Ebenezer

What a great line in that old hymn, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". The lyrics are so rich (and the subject of this blog), but also take a moment to appreciate the musical strength of this song. The identical recurring 1st, 2nd & 4th melodic lines work beautifully to enforce & reinforce the message, and give strength to the song. I love the variant melody of the 3rd line, the ascending climax of the song, as if the singer is raising her hands in victory (and also complete surrender) to God. Ok, I could go on, but enough about the music, it's the lyrics of the 2nd stanza that throw everyone a curve ball.

"Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I've come." WOW! What a line.

Ebenezer means "stone of help" and is a reference to I Samuel 7:12. The Lord had given Samuel a great victory over a vast army...the Word says the Lord thundered against the Philistines...I love it! So Samuel wanted to commemorate this victory and give credit to whom credit is due. He set up a large stone as a tribute of God's faithfulness and power, and his HELP. The NIV translates Samuel's dedication speech as "Thus far the Lord has helped us." Picture Samuel raising a triumphant fist to heaven, "YES! You are awesome God, and I want other people to know about it, and to ask what this stone is here for, so they too can hear the story of your HELP to us. "

I'm a 3rd generation worship leader, so I've been taught and have taught about this lyric many times. But in 2001, this line came alive for our family. My little nephew, Stone, who is 4 now, is named from this verse. The events surrounding his coming into the world and his final arrival in the arms of his adoptive parents, my brother & sister-in-law, are much like the battle that Samuel faced. There was quite a storm and the Lord brought much thunder to get that little baby into the home He planned for him. To this day Stone has a spark about him, and a huge smile, and will one day soon be able to tell people why his name is Stone. (Thankfully, Michael & Darla chose "Stone" instead of "Ebenezer".)

So the next time your worship leader selects this song, sing it with great courage and understanding. Sing it loud and proud, remembering the times in your life when God has shown Himself strong and has provided you help beyond belief. And after the service, explain to the person next to you what that lyric means and why it means something to you.