Lesson Plans

I rushed home to prepare the lesson. Tonight’s class would be ready for chapter eleven in our book, and I hadn’t finished collecting my thoughts. My style facilitates discussion more than a lecture, so I rely on questions to prepare the conversation. But what I thought would be a lesson for my class was a lesson for the teacher.

I turned to the study guide in the back of the book and paused at the Ebenezer story. How frequently had that rock been used as an image of God stepping in to alter time and space? Would the Lord use it again?

I will intercede with the Lord for you.

~1 Samuel 7:5 NIV

Executing the Plans

I decided to take the chance and use the illustration.  I rummaged through my decorating stash and breathed a sigh of relief when I found a bag of stones. I prayed the Lord would make sense of my jumbled ideas.

In class, we talked about God’s intervention on behalf of the Israelites when they turned back to Him. Their enemies, the Philistines, surrounded them in a massive show of force and aggression. The Hebrews cried out to the Lord for help, and God came to their aid.

When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 7:7 NIV

The rocks clinked together when we passed around the bag. As each woman took a stone, I watched them finger the smooth surface. We looked for ways the Lord had interceded for us. What heartaches were they thinking about? What milestones would their rock represent?

Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far, the Lord has helped us.”

1 Samuel 7:12 NIV

A Lesson Learned

I needlessly worried about the direction of our group because God intervened on my behalf once again. I wasn’t the teacher but the student in God’s classroom. While exploring our timelines, we talked about where God split history on our behalf and changed the outcome of our lives. That night, the Lord interceded in the trajectory of our class dialogue, and once again, we marveled at the God of Ebenezer stories.

Think of a time when God has set up an Ebenezer stone for you.

Lord, thank You for repeatedly intervening on my behalf. You are the God of second chances, and I will not forget Your mercy on me. You are the God who helps us.

 

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2024: A Lesson for the Teacher: Sally Ferguson: All Rights Reserved