The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 7:12 that after a great victory, the prophet Samuel set up a stone called Ebenezer, meaning "The Stone of Help." As he placed it, he declared, "Up to this point, the Lord has helped us!" That stone wasn’t a mark of the final victory but a reminder of God’s faithfulness. It stood as a testament for generations to come, proclaiming that the same God who had helped them before would continue to guide and protect them through the trials ahead.
In life, we all face battles when the challenges feel overwhelming. It’s easy in those moments to think, “Has God forgotten me? Am I all alone in this?” But God has given us Ebenezer stones in our lives—moments when He opened a door we couldn’t open, made a way where there was no way, or brought peace right in the middle of the storm. Those markers are there to remind us that God is faithful, that He’s been with us before, and He’ll be with us again.
And for us Armenians, we have something even more tangible—our khachkars, those beautifully carved cross-stones. They’re more than works of art; they’re testimonies. Each one silently stands as a witness to the faith of our ancestors, declaring to the world that through centuries of trials, persecution, and genocide, God has been our help, He has not abandoned us.
Every cross-stone points us back to the greatest testimony of all—the Cross of Calvary. And the Cross is the ultimate Ebenezer, the ultimate “Stone of Help.” It’s God’s eternal marker of love, which declares to humanity: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It’s a reminder that His faithfulness never wavers, His love never fails, and His sacrifice has already secured the victory.
So, let’s hold tight to the memory of our Stones of Help. Let’s praise Him for the victories, big and small. And let’s trust Him for what lies ahead. The same God who’s helped you this far isn’t about to leave you now. Lift your eyes. Keep the faith. Your Stone of Help is still standing, and so are you.
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