‘Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them. The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to a place below Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way. Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!” So the Philistines were subdued and didn’t invade Israel again for some time. And throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the Lord ’s powerful hand was raised against the Philistines. The Israelite villages near Ekron and Gath that the Philistines had captured were restored to Israel, along with the rest of the territory that the Philistines had taken. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites in those days.’ 1 Samuel 7:10-14(NLT)
In 1 Samuel 7, the prophet Samuel and the Israelites found themselves under attack by the Philistines. Having lost their first battle with the Philistines, the Israelites begged Samuel to pray for them ahead of the next one. Samuel offered a sacrifice to God and prayed to ask for His protection. God heard Samuel’s prayer, and He gave the victory to the Israelites. Afterwards, to commemorate God’s favor toward them, Samuel set up a stone between Mizpeh and Shen, where the battle had happened. He named that monument Eben-Ezer, which means “stone of help,” announcing to the people, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
Certainly your family has faced challenges in the past. You’ll also inevitably experience spiritual battles in the future. But when you do, acknowledge the ways in which God is leading your family. Encourage them that God gives us strength to weather difficult times together.
And when you emerge on the other side of adversity, invest some time in creating your own “memorial stones” together as a family. Gather things that will help remind all of you how — just as God helped Samuel and the Israelites — He also helps you. Your memorial can be anything that makes sense for your family, as long as it jogs your memory and reminds you all of God’s providence in your life together. We’ve seen families make scrapbooks, shadow boxes with mementos, keepsake boxes, framed art, and journals. Really, the only limit is your imagination.
Then when neighbor kids come over, your kids will be excited to tell them about the battle, and all about the specific ways our loving God always comes through for our family — time and time again.
from Family-ID: 7 Keys To A Great Family