MAKE AN “EBENEZER TIMELINE” OF GOD’S ACTIVITY

An activity I’ve personally found helpful is to, every few years, draw a timeline of my life
and mark out God’s activity in it. I have done this once for my entire life (in 5 year
increments, looking for God’s activity in each season), and more recently, for 3-5 year
periods of time, to prompt me to remember God’s recent kindness in my life.
Here is how to do this:
 Draw a line across the centre of your page, from left to right. On the left end of the
line, put the year you were born; and on the right end, put the current year. Along
the way, mark years in one colour ink.
 Starting with the year were born, write down the major events and experiences of
your life in chronological order. If the milestone was a positive experience, place it
above the line; if it was negative, place it below the line.
 You do not need to record every experience, just those you think played a significant
role in your development.
 One you have recorded all the milestones, draw a line that connects each one of
them in chronological sequence. The result will most likely look like a trendline on a
stock chart that sometimes goes up and other times down.
 As you look back on your life, do your best to break it down into separate divisions or
eras. For example, you may have childhood, young adult, professional, etc. While
there is no specific requirement, try to keep the number of divisions between three
and eight. Define each division by drawing vertical lines down your map and labelling
them.
 For each era of your life, try to identify the core convictions that you learned or
developed during that time. Core convictions are the assumptions that guide our
decision making (i.e. people are untrustworthy, money leads to security, church is
unsafe, God is good, etc.). A core conviction can be developed during a season of
happiness, but more frequently they are the result of pain. Record these core
convictions in the corresponding era.
 Based on the core convictions you developed, try to determine a theme for each era
of your life. Pay attention to patterns and notice how one era relates to the next.
 Finally, notice how your spirituality emerged and evolved over time, and how it has
brought you to where you are now.

Questions to jog your memory as you make your timeline:

 What were the noteworthy events, turning points?
 What has been your most challenging issue faced in the last season of life? Most
enjoyable?
 What were the highs & lows, losses & gains, blessings and stresses?
 Who has entered your life? Who has exited your life?
 What have the relationships been like with family members? Close friends/co-
workers?
 What happened in your family during this season? In your extended family and
network of friends?
God’s Work in your Life
With a different coloured pen or highlighter, mark specific moments of God’s grace and
activity on your timeline. Consider (actively pray through and seek to identify):

 Miracles 
 Out of the blue blessings
 Answers to prayer
 What are the EGGs (Evidences of God’s Grace) in even the hard seasons? 
 Spiritual growth and maturity (both for you and in the lives of people you love)
 Ways that God’s Body– other believers– ministered to you in times of need
 God’s physical/material provision for you and your family
 Depth of understanding of God’s Word and of God Himself

AFTER YOU MAKE YOUR TIMELINE

Look back over your timeline and consider these things:

 What things in your timeline drew you closer to God, what things drew you away
from God?
 Note lessons you’ve learned, what you are grateful for, what you’ve benefitted from,
and what you wish you’d done differently.
 Prayerfully ask God to speak to you through this timeline.
 Note any insights, convictions, shift in perspective or anything else you feel God
wants you to know and/or do.