Stones of Help

“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”

Hymn, Robert Robinson,1758

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it,

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Hither by Thy help I’m come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

Robert Robinson wrote “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” at age 22 after a difficult childhood. Ebenezer (usually capitalized as a proper noun) is not a common English word; it refers to a commemoration of divine assistance. Samuel placed a stone to mark a victory over the Philistines, and he named it "Ebenezer." The word comes from the Hebrew meaning "stone of help," and in Israel’s history, stones were piled up to serve as a long-term reminders of God’s saving action. According to the story, Robinson lost sight of his faith in later life. That too easily can happen without good reminders. Like the children of Israel, we easily forget what happened yesterday, and fear begins to draw dark shadows across paths of hope.

What are the reminders in your life of God’s faithfulness and healing?