Eben-ezer

In 1 Samuel 7:12, we read of a memorial ceremony performed by Samuel, God's prophet. "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, 'Till now the LORD has helped us.'" Following Israel's rout of the Philistines, Samuel took a rock and erected it as a sort of monument between Mizpeh and Shen. He called the rock "Ebenezer," which is two words in Hebrew meaning "helping stone." This rock memorial was to symbolize God's help in the victory over the Philistines.
Whenever they saw that stone, the people were to remember God's care and aid in the past. "To this point God has been our helper." The implication of course is that just as God had brought them to this point, so he would continue to help, guide, and care for them.
This is what the second stanza of the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" is alluding to (unfortunately, our hymnal changes it to "sign of victory"). It says,
"Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home."
As we begin a new year, we look forward to what lies ahead: new friends, new experiences, new relationships, and new skills. Perhaps this will be the year that Jesus Christ will return to snatch his Church away to be with him. Perhaps we will go through incredible difficulty or trials. We thank God for his help and strength throughout the past year. We look back and say, "To this point God has helped us." At the same time, we look forward and say, "We know our faithful God will continue to help us."