Raise an Ebenezer

Be honest. In spite of his poor reputation, have you ever thought that Scrooge may have been on to something with his famous yuletide phrase, "bah humbug"? Like, haven't there been times when "bah humbug" sounded preferable to some other trite platitude that drips with a joy you don't really feel? There were certainly times for the children of Israel when they would have seen little evidence on the horizon for hope. Long stretches of time. If they were basing their faith upon their experience of the particular circumstances of life, they would have been done with God. This is why they needed to raise some Ebenezers. No, we're not talking about that one. While we can appreciate Scrooge's honesty, we're actually trying to deal with his bitter cynicism that tends to live in all of us. We're talking about the biblical Ebenezers - monuments to mark the faithfulness of God. For, when our faith is rooted in the promises of God and His faithfulness in the past, we can endure any season with hope.