Homecoming Anniversary

One year ago today, I came home from Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital. This event was remarkable for several reasons. One of those was the fact that out of the six months we lived in Fort Collins in 2013, I spent five of them in the hospital.

A year ago the hospital gave us a grand send off as staff from various departments lined the hallway to say goodbye. It was a special moment for the staff that had invested in my care as much as for me and my family and friends. I came home in a van with a power wheelchair to lunch at home and today I drove myself to a lunch meeting with Pastor Steve Harris (He was with me a year ago) and used my walker to get in and out of the restaurant. (see picture)

As I looked back on some of the CaringBridge posts, I noted that I was taken off life support on September 17, 2013 just a week before my surgery. I started writing my own daily posts on November 17, 2013 and with a few exceptions when I was back in the hospital have kept up the reports and now daily devotional thoughts.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12

We see some interesting names in the Bible, most are for places. Here is the naming of a stone, and in time the name of the stone became identified as a place. “Ebenezer” means “stone of help.”

This stone marked a day of victory for Israel over the Philistines (their archenemies) The Ark of God’s presence had been captured by the Philistines and the Philistine God “Dagon” seemed to be more powerful than Jehovah. But without human intervention the Lord brought destruction upon the Philistines and the Ark was returned to the land of Israel.

This brought about a time of repentance and turning back to God. Samuel interceded before the Lord for the people as they faced the threat of the Philistines. The Lord “thundered with a mighty sound” and brought confusion and defeat to the Philistines. This brought joy and new courage to God’s people. Battles were common in the Old Testament, why mark the significance of this one?

It was because it signaled a turning point. A time of change from defeat to victory. A time of looking to human strength to relying on God. A time where hearts were turned away from the Lord to a time when they cry to Samuel was, “don’t stop interceding for us!” They realized that their life was dependent upon seeking the Lord and the Lord fighting for them.

Ebenezer was not a marker for any battle, it was a marker for the battle won by the Lord that came at a critical point in the history of God’s people. It was to remind them where their “center, their true north” was found.

Markers today are not just on historic battle fields, they are found on calendars. Birthdays, anniversaries, a new year, a new job, all can be times of remembrance. These times allow us to pause, stop and ponder. To reflect on the past, to evaluate the present and to plan for and anticipate the future.  There are no greater “markers in time” than those connected to God’s intervention in our life. A “spiritual birthday”, a call to ministry or service, a significant answer to prayer.

A significant date for me will always be the date I came home from the hospital. It not only serves as a natural maker in time and my recovery process, but a time to thank the Lord for the many ways that He has provided. A time to “erect an Ebenezer” up to this point the Lord has helped me…and  I am confident of His continued help. There are challenges to be me, there are goals to be achieved, but I always want my confidence and faith to be in the Lord who is with us and does not fail. Perhaps you need an Ebenezer in your life. A time when you are aware of the Lord’s help in a specific way.