Ebenezer The Stone of Help
I Samuel 7
Prepare Your Hearts Before the Lord vs. 3-6
As Samson is physically preparing the people for deliverance, Samuel is spiritually preparing the people for deliverance. To be delivered from a circumstance or a situation and not serve God afterwards doesn’t benefit the Lord at all.
Vs. 3. If we want revival:
We must get rid of false idols and false gods
We must prepare our hearts
We must determine to serve only God
We must fast and pray
Have Our Hearts Dependent Upon the Lord vs. 7-12
Once we have determined to serve God, the choice will be tested.
The enemy, the Philistines, came to the children of Israel. The people were immediately afraid of their life long enemy.
Samuel used this time to teach the people that the proper response to this fear and the situation was to pray.
During the prayer meeting to worship God, God send thundering to the Philistines and chased them away.
The children of Israel followed up and finished off the Philistines.
Keep Our Hearts on the Lord vs. 13-17
God provided a great victory, but one victory isn’t enough. We must keep a lifelong habit of serving and looking to the Lord.
Samuel, who now serves as the first prophet, made a circuit preaching to the people.
We all need reminded to keep looking unto the Lord.