Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, and Shane & Shane have each released new versions of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” While these hit-makers have breathed life into an old classic, the real story is the greatness of the original: few songs still command respect 300 years after they were written!
This hymn is the work of British hymnwriter, Robert Robinson. He speaks of God’s goodness in spite of his own failures, and though he is sure to fail again in the future, He trusts God with that too:
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it! Prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above.”
(Is that not a perfect picture of salvation? We know we will fail, but we give God our heart—and future failures—so that He can securely hold it, preserving it for heaven.)
I love the line that reads:
“Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I’m come …”
Do you know ‘Ebenezer’? Not from Dickens but from 1 Samuel 7:12: “Samuel took a stone and set it upright …. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, ‘The Lord has helped us to this point.’” “Ebenezer” means “stone of help.” Samuel set up a marker to remind the nation of all that God had done for them. We need such markers. What markers could you erect along the highway of your life? When did you first see the Lord’s glory, or a miracle? When did you first hear His voice? When did you give Him your life? When did He do something amazing for you, in you, or through you?
Moments with God are the BIGGEST MOMENTS OF YOUR LIFE. Write them down! Set up a marker. Memorize them and rehearse them in your mind over and over. When life gets hard, you need Ebenezers—spiritual markers—to remind you of God’s goodness.
Take the time to write down your spiritual milestones. What have been the biggest steps in your journey?
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Household Words: 