First Call
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A few weeks ago, I suffered a personal injury and reached out to several people for help. Later in the day I realized that I’d forgotten to reach out to my own dear mom. It struck me funny that someone who’d been a first call for so much of my life had been so easily left out of the loop in that moment. It had nothing to do with any lack on her part but was due to my absent mindedness. For so long, she’s been a steady nurturing figure to me but my attention and focus was elsewhere.
In this week’s passage, we read of Samuel calling the people to return to the LORD and rid themselves of their idols. Soon after, they do return to the LORD but are tried by an enemy Philistine army. Their first response is to cry out to the LORD for help. He does help them in thunderous ways, restoring their securities and peace as Samuel makes a burnt offering of a nursing lamb. The LORD’s help was so obvious that Samuel set up a stone at Mizpah and Shen where the people had gathered and witnessed His salvation. The stone was called, Ebenezer (which means stone of help), for Samuel said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” The question would come again in their hearts, “Where do we turn for help?” Repentance means to turn from one thing back toward another. The people will be tempted by their idols again but they will need something to turn their hearts toward God alone. The Ebenezer stone serves as a great reminder of how the Lord saves His people.
The Lord still wants single minded devotion from His people. Our LORD God knows that He is and will always be the HELP that we need. As I began the process of writing this reflection, I prayed “God help me!” And in so many other moments of my life, I have prayed the same, sincerely hoping and focused on His power and ability alone because He has a perfect resume and I’ve witnessed His saving work firsthand. Even before I consulted others for my injury, I was praying “God help me!” As His follower, Jesus calls me to pray in His name and for His glory. May God help me should it not be so. Our heavenly Father wants us to trust in Him with childlike faith – simply reacting as a child to a nurturing parent to cry out trusting Him for help anytime and for anything.
All of us still struggle with trusting in other things than the Maker of our souls. But our Maker calls out to us with a miraculous provision in the perfect sacrifice of His dear Son. He does not want anything to come between so He calls us to repent of our idols and trust in Him alone. Like the people of Samuel’s day, we also have a stone to look toward as a reminder of God’s ever present help. Our stone is better! We have THE Cornerstone in Jesus as the risen Christ, King of kings and LORD of lords. If by God’s grace, we turn to Jesus, the idols fade away in comparison. Jesus alone is our hope and help! While this passage ends with Samuel building an altar to the LORD, we must ask ourselves – What am I building an altar to right now? There is only One who is worthy of our worship. May we know till now it is the LORD that has helped us to the praise of His glory through Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world! May the LORD be our first call as our Everything!
Grateful and hopeful in Christ,
Jon