EBENEZER: STONE OF HELP

For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a ROCK. Psalm 27:5

REMEMBER VERSE

"I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice... When my life was fainting away, I REMEMBERED the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Jonah 2:2a, 7

DEVOTION

You know what caused Jonah to REMEMBER God? Getting swallowed by a great big fish. I imagine that would be a startling wake-up call! But how did Jonah wind up in the fish belly?

God gave Jonah a hard call: go to the biggest, baddest enemy of the day and preach repentance. Jonah’s response was to run in the opposite direction. What was God thinking?The task seemed too hard. He wasn’t strong enough or smart enough. He couldn’t do it.

He was correct: he couldn’t. But Jonah forgot that the Lord who called was Jehovah Shammah— the Lord Who Is There. The Lord would accompany Jonah to Nineveh and HELP. He didn’t expect Jonah to succeed on his own, only to REMEMBER He traveled with him.

Jonah FORGOT the Lord would shelter, conceal, cover, and lift him up. But, when he REMEMBERED WHO his Lord was, he could march into the enemy’s city and preach.

Whatever you face, REMEMBER, the Lord HELPS you in the midst of it all. When you feel swallowed up, REMEMBER, your Lord is there, too.

• God is our refuge and strength, a very present HELP in trouble. Psalm 46:1

• PRAYER: Thank You Lord for being present. I’m never alone, even when I feel like it. Please help me turn to You in trouble.

• For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses… Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to HELP in time of need. Hebrews 4:15A,16

• PRAYER: Thank You Jesus for understanding the challenges I face. Your loving comfort sustain me through the challenges. Jesus, today I ask for the mercy and grace I need to help me with the difficulties. Please strengthen me to do Your will and answer Your call.

QUESTIONS

What hard thing is God calling you to do?

Read Psalm 27:5 (above) and meditate on WHO the Lord is for you. Ask Him to give you a picture of Who He is in times of trouble. Write out a prayer of thanksgiving.

How can you avoid the mistake Jonah made? Write out Psalm 46:1 and hang it up to remind you the Lord helps you.

CHALLENGE

Identify a Nineveh in your life— something you want to run away from. Ask for help to obey Jesus in your “Nineveh,” no matter the cost.

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