The first time we see a sacrifice and a promise together is when Noah exits the ark. He builds an altar and offers a burnt sacrifice to God. God, in turn, makes Noah a promise by both a word and a picture. He tells him He will never again destroy the earth and that as long as the earth endures, there will be seedtime and harvest. It is a tremendous promise of safety and blessing. Then to give Noah a continual reminder, He puts a rainbow in the clouds as a symbol of His promise. Every time Noah would see the rain, he wouldn’t need to fear; God’s promise was there to encourage him.
We see the same happen for Abram. He receives a promise from God that he would be the father of many nations and that all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through him. The problem is that even after years of believing that promise, Abram still has no son. So Abram takes his disappointment to God and, in essence, says, “What good are Your promises if I still don’t have a child?” To answer Abram, God decides it’s time for another visual lesson. He tells Abram to build an altar and prepare a sacrifice for a covenant between them. When the sacrifice is ready, God tells Abram to look at the stars and count them if he could; that is how many descendants he will have. God’s visual lesson reminds Abram that even through the night season, God will be faithful.
If you are still waiting on your promise, start with an altar. Remember that in God’s promise of faithfulness lie seed, time and harvest. You may be in the “time” of your promise. While you are in the waiting season, don’t hesitate to bring your disappointment to the Lord. Let Him show you afresh the desires of His heart for you.
I share a more in-depth study of Abram’s battle to obtain his promise on my podcast episode titled “Contending for your prophetic promise.” {eoa}
Jaime Luce is an author, blogger, podcaster, speaker and monthly contributor to Charisma Magazine. She attended The Kings University in Southlake, Texas, with studies in biblical and theological studies. Her constant endeavor in every mode of communication is to encourage and strengthen the body of Christ through the power of God’s Word. Her website is jaimeluce.com. You can reach her by email at [email protected].
