by Aaron White, WEGO Storyteller
“Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines advanced to battle Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were struck down before Israel. And the men of Israel came out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and killed them as far as below Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, ’So far the Lord has helped us.’”
1 Samuel 7:10-12
Since my son was born I’ve sung him to sleep whenever I rock him. It took a while to find my go-to song. “Simple Song” by The Shins had a short run, as did “Silent Night” during Christmas time. But I wanted something I could sing over him, not just for him. I settled on “Come Thou Fount”. The melody is beautiful and the lyrics are poignant, but the way it unites the honesty of our experience with the truth of the Gospel is what drew me more than the rest. Particularly this verse:
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Now, my son is 15 months old, so it may go over his head. But I’d be hard-pressed to find a truer bit of poetry in the English language, by meaning or mood. And what rings most true of all to my experience is that line with the weird old word in it. Ebenezer. A word that seems utterly foreign until you see Samuel set the stone up himself in the passage above after God kept his people from absolute destruction. The ultimate answer to prayer.
Remembering answered prayer is an essential part of life in Christ. One of the ways God teaches his people to rely on him is by teaching us to look back on his faithfulness towards us. Those answered prayers have been like stepping stones on the ocean to me. What’s more, the longer I walk with God, the more he’s taught me that when I’ve gone a long time without seeing a stone before me, I have miles of reminders of his faithfulness behind to keep me trusting, so long as I look to them.
I sing that song to my son because I want him and myself to remember that God is faithful and he hears us. These stepping stones we peer back at are ready to be fashioned into monuments at any moment, ready to help us remember when we lose sight of how faithful God’s love for us really is. So let us raise an Ebenezer this month. Think back and find a moment where God’s faithfulness was clear to you, and pray through this guide knowing that Jesus is just as for us now as ever. Let it propel your prayers into expectation.
Join Us in Praying for Our Home Build!
Please join us this week in praying for the children’s bedrooms in the new home. At the moment, we are only able to provide a room for boys and a room for girls, but the new house will feature four bedrooms so that boys and girls will each have two rooms to divide into by sibling groups or ages. These are the rooms where music will be played, forts will be made, books will be read, and dreams will be dreamed.
How You Can Pray
1) Pray for the older boys to lead the way in kindness, strength, and sacrifice. May they deeply know the love of Jesus and put it on display in our home.
2) Pray for the hopes and dreams of our older girls as they find rest in this room. Pray God clearly directs their next steps towards a specific job or school after they leave our home.
3) Pray for the minds of our younger boys and girls as they go to sleep. May Jesus fully heal the hurt and pain that brought them to our home, and fill them with peace and rest, not fear and anxiety.
New Hope House Church – Gachuurt, Mongolia
About New Hope House Church:
New Hope House Church, led by our very own Purevsed, is the house church where the staff of WEGO Mongolia come to worship. Made up almost entirely of our staff, it’s a place where they fellowship, pray for one another, and learn about the Lord.
How You Can Pray:
1) Pray that God will increase the faith of our staff and their families.
2) Pray that love would abound among the members of the House Church and overflow to their families and community.
3) Pray for their health and well-being.
Grace Baptist Church – Nicaragua
From Pastor Eliezer Urtecho:
“I am 45 years old, my wife is 39. Her name is Rosario and we don’t have kids. I have been a pastor for 10 years now and it is the most amazing thing I could ever do. I love serving the Lord. My church is located at El Quebracho which is down the road to the ocean. I live in my own house and we have church services 4 times a week. We also do some home visitation on Fridays. It is such a blessing to be part of God’s work. I don’t imagine myself doing anything other than preaching the word of God. It is good to have people around the world that worry about us. Thank you for having us in your prayers as we pray for you all.”
How You Can Pray:
1) For our spiritual growth.
2) That God will give us compassion and passion for his work.
3) That we would love the lost more.
Doljin – Herder/Firemaker, Mongolia
About Doljin:
Doljin is the one who keeps the infrastructure of New Hope Children’s Home stable. She gets up with the cows (literally–to take care of the cows). She gathers firewood for the winter. She heads up the garden. She keeps the furnaces burning. She also has a beautiful singing voice. Her humility and faithfulness is an example to all of us of the love of Jesus.
How You Can Pray:
1) Pray that God would watch over her family and children.
2) Pray for her faith and health.
3) Pray that her work would be excellent and her cows healthy.
Elias Guevara – History Teacher, Nicaragua
From Elias:
“My name is Elias. I am 25 years old. I am the geography and history teacher and I have been working for WEGO for 3 years almost. I live in Masatepe in my own house. I don’t have a girlfriend. I have pet, a monkey named Mikaela. I love cleaning and cooking. My parents live close by and I am very close to them. I also have 2 brothers and we all go to an apostolic church. I love teaching because I also learn a lot from others. My experience at New Hope School has been awesome. One thing I love the most is to be able to share about the Lord with the kids. The kids receive the gospel in an awesome way, they are good listeners. I thank the Lord for having the opportunity to be part of WEGO.”
How You Can Pray:
1) For his future, that God would provide a good wife for him.
2) That he would always do his best in his role at school.
3) For all the people that help with WEGO.
Ulziibuyan – New Hope Children’s Home, Mongolia
From Ulziibuyan:
“My name is Ulziibuyan. Thank you for praying for me. I would like to request prayers for my health, my education and my parents. Thank you. Bye bye.”
Esperanza Rodriguez – New Hope Bible Club, Nicaragua
From Esperanza:
“My name is Esperanza and I am almost 6 years old, my birthday is on March 14. I am very excited. I am in 1st grade. I love to study and help my mom at home. My mom is a stay at home mom and my dad works at a farm. We attend Yo Soy Jehova Church which is located in our community, Roman Esteban. I love singing and learning about God. My mom’s name is Claudia and my dad’s is Juan. We live in our own house in the Roman Esteban community. I love the Bible Club because I have friends there and our teacher is so sweet and kind.”
How You Can Pray:
1) That my mom would always have good health.
2) That I would get good grades at school.
3) That I would learn more about Jesus.