When many of us read the name Samuel, we think of a kindly prophet whose mother dedicated him to the Lord’s service when she prayed that she might have a child. Or we think of the man who anointed both Saul and David to be the kings of Israel. However, before Samuel served God strictly in the role of prophet, the Lord called him to be the judge of the Chosen People and put him in the position to be their leader when they were threatened by enemies.
Samuel assembled all of Israel’s fighting men and defeated a group of Philistines who had been threatening the people. Afterward he erected a stone pillar between the towns of Mizpah and Shen and named it Ebenezer, which in Hebrew means “stone of help.” This monument served as a reminder that the victory over the Philistines did not come from the strength of Israel’s army but solely from the power of God, who had led them even more than the judge Samuel.
In the high moments of our lives, it is easy for us to believe that we have accomplished our goals through our own ingenuity, our own preparations, or our own abilities. But when we find ourselves in the depths of disappointment and failure, it is then that we call out to God for His help. This reality does not reflect the way that God has called us to live. We should indeed call out to the Lord for help during times of distress, but we should also remember to offer the Divine our gratitude for those times of success and our praise to Him during every season of our lives.