As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to share a simple but really powerful practice that can train us to recognize God’s faithfulness in our lives and help us cultivate a heart of gratitude. It’s the idea of building an Ebenezer–a practice that’s rooted in Scripture and gives us a tool to help us live with a deeper sense of gratitude and trust in God’s goodness.
“Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
In 1 Samuel 7:12, after God gave the Israelites victory over their enemies, the prophet Samuel raised a stone and called it “Ebenezer,” which means “stone of help.” He said, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” I love that picture—it was Samuel’s way of saying, Let’s mark this moment, so we never forget what God has done for us.
We may not raise stones today, but we can still raise up reminders of God’s goodness in our lives. These reminders—our own Ebenezers—can help anchor our hearts in gratitude. They remind us, that no matter what season we’re in, God has always been faithful, and He always will be
How to Build Your Own Ebenezer
So, how do we build our own Ebenezer today? How do we mark the moments where we see God at work?
1. Start with Gratitude
The first step is simply to make a list of blessings. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.”
What are some of the gifts or blessings you’ve received recently? Or places where you’ve seen God’s favor. It could be something small, like a peaceful morning, or something bigger, like an answered prayer or a breakthrough.
Whatever it is, these blessings are evidence of God’s love and care in your life. And once you start taking inventory, you’ll find His blessings are unending.
Psalm 103:2 encourages us to “forget not all His benefits.” Writing down these blessings helps us remember what God has done so we don’t take His goodness for granted.
2. Finding Blessings in Disguise
The next step is a little more challenging. Think about the difficult seasons—those times when things were really hard, or just didn’t go the way you hoped.
Romans 8:28 promises that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” Have there been moments where something seemed impossibly unending, but looking back, you can see how God used it for your good?
Maybe it was a loss, a setback, or a really difficult situation that ended up becoming a blessing in disguise. When we start to recognize these moments, they become part of our Ebenezer—reminders that God’s hand was on us, even when we couldn’t see it.
For Brandon and me, it was when he was diagnosed with cancer. It changed everything for us. Even our faith—but for the good.
There were so many hard days…months, even. But, I could do a whole episode recounting all the blessings that came from it.
And all the ways God continues to bless us through it.
3. Mark the Moment
After reflecting on these moments, find a way to mark them. It could be through journaling, keeping a gratitude jar, or even writing them on sticky notes and placing them where you’ll see them every day.
Deuteronomy 4:9 says, “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen.”
Having a visual reminder helps us keep God’s faithfulness front and center, especially when life gets tough. In our Scripture Cultivations for this month, I’ll share lots of different ideas for you.
A tip that can be really helpful, is to find some way to capture or make note of your ebenezers while they are happening or as soon as you recognize them. Even if you just jot a sentence down in the Notes app of your phone. Or take a photo and drop it in an album on your phone. Mine is called Love Notes From God.
I wrote a guest blog post for Twyla Franz’s Gratitude Series about Collecting Your God-Stories. In it, I share other ways to capture your Ebenezer moments with God.
As we head into Thanksgiving, take some time to build your own Ebenezer. Whether it’s recognizing the obvious blessings in your life or reflecting on the ways God has worked through your challenges, remember that each of these moments is part of your story with Him.
One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.
Let’s be people who declare God’s goodness, marking the moments where His faithfulness has carried us.
And, if you’d like some encouragement in cultivating gratitude, may I invite to you join me as I participate in my friend, Twyla Franz’s, annual gratitude challenge.
This year, it’s called the #ReflectJesus Challenge, and the focus is all about seeing Jesus reflected in the people around us.
Each day, Twyla will share a characteristic of Jesus—like His kindness, gentleness, or patience—and encourage us to think of someone we know who embodies that quality. You can tag them on Instagram or Facebook to affirm and thank them, but even more importantly, you take a moment to thank God for them. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” We can thank God for the people in our lives who inspire us to be more like Jesus.
For those who join the challenge, she’ll also send a daily prayer asking Jesus to help you reflect His nature in your own life. It’s such a sweet way to combine gratitude with intentional spiritual growth. I’ll leave a link in the show notes so you can join the challenge.
In our Scripture Cultivations for this month, I’m including a list of 12 Ideas for Building Your Own Ebenezer. Don’t forget to download yours free, today.
Here are your cultivations
You have lots of options! Start by printing off the Scripture Cultivations Plan for free.
Prefer listening? Tune in to our podcast episodes.
If visuals are your thing, catch us on YouTube for insightful videos.
And for some community vibes, grab a cuppa and hop over to the FIGS Community Facebook Group.
What are Scripture Cultivations?
If you’re new to the Figs Community, you may be wondering why I call them Scripture Cultivations instead of a Scripture Writing Plan or Scripture Reading Plan. Hop on over to this page to find out more.
