Leviticus 23:15-17 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the LORD.
In the Tenach (Old Testament), the Lord commanded Israel to count the Omer (the Barley Harvest) beginning the day after the sabbath during Passover, 50 days to the Biblical Festival of Shavuot (Pentecost).
What’s truly remarkable is that for nearly 2,000 years, the Jewish people lived in exile without a homeland—and without a harvest to count. Still, generation after generation, they continued to count the Omer. Why? Because they held on to the promise. They faithfully marked time, counting a harvest that didn’t yet exist in the natural, believing that one day, God would fulfill His word and restore them to the land of their forefathers.
And then, against all odds, He did.
Roughly 130 years ago, a miracle began to unfold. The Lord started regathering His people back to the land of Israel. What was once a barren desert began to bloom. The barley harvest—and with it, the counting of the Omer—was restored. Today, just as in ancient times, Israel counts the Omer with an actual harvest in hand. What was once done in faith and hope is now done in fulfillment and joy.
This powerful example speaks volumes to us as believers in the Messiah. If the Jewish people could faithfully count a harvest that didn’t yet exist, how much more should we, who have the Spirit of God within us, learn to wait with expectation? The Omer reminds us that faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
Are you praying for something that hasn’t yet come to pass? A healing? A restored relationship? Salvation for a loved one? Financial breakthrough? Don’t grow weary. Begin to thank God now for what you have not yet seen. Rejoice in advance. Praise Him in faith. Like those who counted the Omer in exile, we can count the days in expectation of a divine harvest that is already on its way.
Let this season leading to Shavuot (Pentecost)—this year on June 1st—be a time when you set your heart to trust in God’s promises. Expect a harvest of righteousness, breakthrough, and blessing. Begin today to give thanks for the miracles yet to come. They’re closer than you think. Truly the harvest is on the way.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
More Devotions
I read a story about a new young partner in a law firm. The senior partners had set extremely high standards and had coached him carefully. He did well in some minor trials but he lost his first big case. When the partners reviewed the trial, they pointed out his errors and suggested different strategies. Even with all their critique, he lost the next big one. He felt terrible. Were they ready to give him the boot?
As Scotland was declaring its independence from England in the 1300’s, the English were hunting for Robert Bruce of Scotland in an attempt to prevent his accession to the Scottish throne. In the search, the English put Bruce’s own bloodhounds on his trail. As they grew closer to apprehending him, Robert the Bruce found a small river, and he said to his foster-brother who was with him, “Let us wade down this stream for a great way, instead of going straight across, and so these unhappy hounds will lose the scent; for if we were once clear of them, I should not be afraid of getting away from the pursuers.”
The first man was called “Ah-dom”, we know him as “Adam”. The word used for “man”, as in “mankind”, in Genesis 1, is also the same word – “Ah-dom”. “Ah-dom” is rooted in the three Hebrew letters, aleph-dalet-mem, and one of the Hebrew words for earth is “Adamah”, which contains the same three letters, however it ends with the Hebrew letter “hay”. “Adamah” means “red earth”, or “red clay”, and this word points to the natural earth elements, the “earth dust” that composed Adam’s body, and the body of every human being since. “Man” is “ah-dom”, in a very real sense, “clay”.
There are two kinds of birds that roam the desert: vultures and hummingbirds. The vulture thrives on a diet of rotting meat. He flies overhead searching for traces of leftover carcasses from slow-footed critters eaten by wild animals who’ve already had their fill.
In Biblical Hebrew, the verb tenses are not like our “past”, “present”, and “future” – there are only two: “perfect” and “imperfect”. The “imperfect” tense is that which is not yet, not done, or not completed. The “perfect” is that which is done, complete and finished.
In 2nd Samuel Chapter 9 we read of the story of King David and Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of the first king of Israel, King Saul. After Jonathan’s death, David went forth to show kindness to Saul’s house. Mephibosheth had become lame at the young age of five — he had lived his entire life as a cripple.
Let’s consider Daniel for a moment. Here is one of the great rulers of the Persian empire, in charge of the King’s affairs and of the affairs of the entire government. If anyone is really busy — it’s Daniel! But in spite of all this responsibility, he makes it a point to set himself apart from the world and pray three times a day.