Thus Far...

"Samuel took a stone and...named it Ebenezer, saying, 'thus far has the Lord helped us.' " 1Samuel 7:12

My dad and I have a Christmas tradition that I love; every year he picks out a book for me. We are both book lovers. The books that Dad has picked for me over the years are some of my all time favorite books. In our fire last year, I lost years of books. But as always Dad has begun to replenish my bookshelves with books he knows I will need to have in my personal library.

This years book is a daily devotional book, Look Unto Me The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon. I decided not to wait until January 1 to start reading and began on Christmas day. I thought it would be fun to start and finish next Christmas day when I get my next book from Dad. I was not a spiritual decision, just thought it would be fun. So I started reading Dec. 25th.

Then came Dec 29th, and 1 Samuel 7:12. The end of the year and New Years Eve have been rough days for me since we moved. I miss being with my family on Christmas, and I miss our friends on New Years Eve most of all. We had a tradition, party, food, games, watching the ball, now there is no routine and we haven't had time to build the relationships that make those traditions yet. It just seems sad to sit home and do nothing on the one night that was always much anticipated as a great date night. Anyway, I had already begun to struggle with these feelings before I read the days page.

Spurgeon talks about how this statement looks to the past and all the ways that God has taken care of us in the good and bad of our lives. Then he goes on to say that it also points to the future. It marks a point in time that is not the end. It says there is more to come, more good and bad, more pain and peace. More traditions to be made and more lonely days to come. When those times come to an end there is still old age, illness and death to come, but even that is not the end. God who has led us this far will lead us to eternity with Him. There is no reason to wonder where 2009 will take us, we need just to follow Him though all of life's ups and downs. He will not leave us hopeless.

"O believer, be of good courage and, with grateful confidence, set up your ebenezer stone as Samuel did, for: 'The Lord who 'thus far' has helped you WILL help you all your journey through.' John Newton"