Count the Stars

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

When the sun had gone down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.
(Genesis 15:17-18)

Toward the end of last year, my lease was coming to an end, and I started searching for a new place to live. A couple of my friends had been working on an ADU on their property, so I asked my friend when it would be done. It was still a few months away from being finished, but she and I had agreed that I could move in when it was done. It wasn’t until February 1st that I actually signed the new lease. Our handshake agreement is now a legally binding contract.

If you recall, God promised the land of Canaan and generations of descendants to Abram in Genesis 12. This moment in Genesis 15 is when that promise became formal. In Abram’s time, this ritual of covenant-making was highly common. The process of gathering animals, cutting them in half, and passing between the pieces was a system he was familiar with. The important thing to note about this particular covenant is that Abram did not walk through the carcasses.

As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. During that time, the presence of the Lord alone passed between the animals, sealing the covenant. What this tells us is that if either party were to fail to uphold their end, the negative consequences would fall solely on God. Better yet, even if Abram was unfaithful, the Lord would still deliver. The complete fulfillment of that promise would even outlive Abram. The act of this particular covenant removes any suspicion that God’s faithfulness is dependent on our participation. This was also proven in the time between the initial promise and the signed contract. At this time, Abram had offered up his wife to Pharaoh, separated from his nephew, and engaged in war. The Lord’s faithfulness would continue to be proven after Abram and Sarai took certain matters into their own hands in Genesis 16.

The formal agreement between the Lord and Abram was not for God’s sake; it was for Abram’s. The promise was not contingent on his performance. All Abram could do was receive it.

Lift up your eyes, receive the promise.

Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead

by Kassie Lowe

Starry-Eyed Perspective

Genesis 15:5

Abram was stuck under an eight-foot ceiling made of goat hair. He wasn’t literally held captive there, but functionally, he was starting to lose sight of God, who was able to do more. Inside his tent, his vision was limited to what felt possible, what he could measure, and what he could control. And for Abram, that meant one painful reality: no child, no heir, no fulfillment of God’s promise.

So God does something simple, but profound. He told Abram to “Go outside” (Genesis 15:5). That’s it. He doesn’t lecture him or argue with him. Just a relocation. One of the things that strikes me is that sometimes the problem isn’t God’s promise, it’s our perspective.

The moment Abram steps outside, everything changes. The ceiling disappears. The sky stretches endlessly above him. And God says, “Look up. Count the stars… so shall your descendants be” (Genesis 15:5). In other words, He was saying, “Stop measuring My power by your limitations.”

We do this all the time. Let me be more personal… I do this all the time. We take the infinite promises of God and shrink them down to the size of our experience. We put eight-foot ceilings on a limitless God. We assume it’s too late, too broken, too far gone. But God’s invitation is always the same: Come outside and see differently.

There’s something about getting outside, literally and spiritually, that resets us. Researchers talk about how time in nature recalibrates the brain. Stress drops, creativity rises, and our perspective widens. It should come as no surprise that Scripture has been showing us this for centuries. God meets people in wide-open spaces. Moses at a burning bush. David in the wilderness. Elijah on the mountain. Jesus in the desert.

Why? Because it’s hard to encounter a big God when your world feels small. And maybe that’s where you are right now. Maybe life has shrunk, or your vision has narrowed. Maybe your faith feels confined to what you can see and solve.

What if what you need isn’t more striving, but a change of scenery? Take a field trip on your own two feet. Step outside and lift your eyes. Really, do it! Let creation preach to you. The same God who spoke the stars into existence and calls them out each night by name (Isaiah 40:26) is still at work in your life. It’s never too little, and it’s never too late.

Abram believed God, not because his circumstances changed, but because his perspective did. So today, get out of the tent, look up, and count the stars. And remember: “He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor

by Ryan Paulson

The Tale Of Two Blessings

The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’” (Genesis 14:21-23)

A few years ago, my best friend had been working as a nanny for a family. This family paid her in cash and it appeared to be a sort of under-the-table arrangement. Turns out, when tax season came around, her employers reported her work on their taxes. My best friend now suddenly owed nearly $3,000 to the IRS, and this agreement felt less mutually beneficial. The illusion of this “gift” ended up costing her much more than she would’ve expected.

This “blessing” from the king of Sodom to Abram feels similar. It’s not only in direct opposition to the blessing Abram received from Melchizedek, but it also reveals his motivation. The king of Sodom shows his hand. Like a Trojan horse, this was a blessing with hidden consequences. Abram realized that this gift wasn’t worth the subsequent cost. He avoided the possibility of this king trying to call in a chit from Abram further down the line.

Abram was not looking for admiration or acknowledgment, but this king was. It’s likely that he intended to use this relationship to elevate himself. The king was virtue-signaling to the rest of the community. Abram understood that this blessing looked more like chains than it looked like freedom. He protected himself from being corrupted by bad company. If he had aligned with the king of Sodom, this story would’ve ended very differently.

The tale of these two blessings demonstrates that the voices that we listen to matter. In a culture oversaturated with opinions and noise, tuning our ears to recognize the truth of the Scriptures is immensely important. When we recognize the sound of true blessing, the rest is just noise.

Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead

by Kassie Lowe

Taste & See

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (Genesis 14:18-20)

Melchizedek is a pretty elusive character in the Bible. He has little to no backstory and no genealogy. There is a lot that we don’t know about him. It’s debated whether Melchizedek is a Christophany (an appearance of Christ pre-incarnation) or not. He is, at the very least, a type pointing to the coming Messiah. What we do know about him is that he is a king of righteousness and a priest of peace. We meet him after Abram and his men defeat these other kings and recover Lot.

This ancillary detail interrupts the progressing narrative. The tone completely shifts, acting like a commercial break in the middle of a TV show. Melchizedek shows up with bread and wine and blesses Abram. As quickly as he appeared, he leaves.

The blessing of Melchizedek is not only a signal of faith, but also a reassurance to Abram that he’s in the place that God intended him to be. This blessing is a result of Abrams' faithfulness. Abram has followed God this far; he’s given deference to his nephew and returned to rescue him. Melchizedek shows up after the battle is over and offers Abram a celebratory meal. One that would stand as a reminder of God’s faithfulness forever. From Passover to the Last Supper to the sacrament of Communion, this moment makes ripples throughout our history.

Before Abram has had any children, before God has “made good” on His promises, Melchizedek arrives. Like a mile marker on the road, this blessing says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” God has brought you this far, but this is not the finish line.

I think that Melchizedek’s blessing is a reminder that the fulfillment of a promise is not the ultimate end goal. There are so many blessings along the way. Friend, I hope that in a season of waiting to see the promise, you would be interrupted by a blessing.

Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead

by Kassie Lowe

Walk the Land

Genesis 13:17

There’s something God said to Abram that has stuck with me, primarily because I wasn’t sure what to do with it. That’s often the way Scripture works in us. It shapes us not because we understand a passage perfectly, but because we don’t and we can’t let it go. I haven’t been able to let this go. Here’s what God said: “Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you” (Genesis 13:17). God basically says, “Abram, get up and go on a hike. Walk from the northern tip of the land I’m giving you, all the way to the South; then, walk from the East all the way to the sea on the West.”

In case you’re wondering, if Abram actually did what God commanded, he would have walked over 500 miles. Do you imagine him step by step, over hills and through valleys, wondering why God would ask him to do that? I have to imagine that question was in the back of his mind.

But maybe you don’t really see a promise until you walk it. As I’ve thought about it, God wasn’t just giving Abram information; He was giving him vision. Rocks in his shoes and vistas in his memory would help carry the promise. God wanted Abram to feel the scope of what was being promised. To stand on ridges and look out over valleys and realize that it was all from the Lord. And maybe just as important, God wanted to settle something deep in Abram’s heart: In giving Lot the first choice, he didn’t lose anything.

That’s the tension, isn’t it? When you defer, when you choose peace over preference, when you let someone else go first, it can feel like loss. Like you’ve missed out. Like you’ve handed over something that could have been yours. But God met Abram in that space and essentially says, “Walk it out. See for yourself. Everything I promised is still yours.”

Abram’s walk becomes a kind of embodied reminder, in which every step reinforces the truth that God’s promises are bigger than his fears. Bigger than Lot’s choices. Bigger than any momentary loss. Maybe that’s what we need too; not just to hear God’s promises, but to walk them. To revisit them. To let them sink in over time, in real life, in real places.

Maybe this week, as you’re reminded of God’s promise in a real place, build an Ebenezer, an altar of celebration and remembrance. Embodying God promise will help you remember God’s faithfulness when it gets dark.

Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor

by Ryan Paulson

Drifting Toward Sodom

10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt… 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan…. 12 and pitched his tents near Sodom. (Genesis 13:10-12)

I don’t think that Lot chose Sodom because it looked sinful. He chose it because it looked good. Genesis 13 tells us that the land of the Jordan Valley was “well watered everywhere… like the garden of the Lord.” It looked like Eden. It looked like a blessing. It looked like the obvious choice… So Lot chose it.

At first, nothing seemed wrong. Verse 12 simply says that Lot “pitched his tents near Sodom.” Not in it. Not fully immersed. Just close enough to enjoy the benefits of the land while keeping a little distance from the corruption.

However, when we turn the page to the next chapter, Lot is no longer near Sodom; he is living in it. Just a little bit later, he is sitting at its gate, a place of influence and leadership. What began as a small step toward something appealing became a slow drift into something destructive.

No one ever plans to end up in Sodom. They just get comfortable living close to it.

Lot’s story is not about one bad decision. It is about a direction. A steady movement toward what looked good but led somewhere dangerous. And the consequences were real. In Genesis 14, Lot is captured in war and loses everything. In Genesis 19, his life and family are completely thrown into utter chaos.

One simple decision to move a little too close to corruption became Lot’s slow unraveling. And it is easy to see ourselves in that pattern. We rarely wake up one day and decide to walk away from God. More often, we drift. We move a little closer to something we once kept a distance from. We justify it because it seems harmless. At first glance, it often even seems wise.

But clearly, all that glitters is not gold. So it is worth asking. What are the “well-watered” plains in your life right now? Where are you being pulled by what looks good, easy, or beneficial, but may be leading you away from God?

The good news is that Lot’s story does not end with his failure. In Genesis 14, Abram goes after him. He pursues him, fights for him, and brings him back. It is a picture of a greater rescue and a grace that isn’t fully fulfilled until Jesus.

Even when we drift, God does not abandon us. He pursues us. So pay attention to the direction of your drift. The small steps you take today are shaping the place you will arrive at tomorrow.

Josh Rose
Family Pastor

by Josh Rose

Abram on a Good Day

Not long after Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, they had sons Cain, Abel and Seth. The last verse in Genesis 4 says, “... at that time people began calling on the name of the Lord.”

In Genesis 13, we read that Abram built an altar to the Lord outside Bethel and “... there Abram called on the name of the Lord.”

What does that mean?

Calling on the name of the Lord is another way of saying, they proclaimed Yahweh God as Lord, as the one true God. It means they acknowledged God as sovereign over everything. And that is a God you can trust completely.

In Genesis 13, as Abram worshiped and called on the name of the Lord, he had a sidekick, his brother’s son, Lot. The Lord blessed Abram and Lot with wealth in possessions and livestock—so much so that the land they occupied couldn’t support all the mouths they had to feed. It became a stressful situation, and Lot and Abram’s herdsmen, who cared for the animals, started fighting.

Proverbs 6:16 says: “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him.” That 7th thing is someone who stirs up family fights.

Abram says to his young nephew Lot, “Let’s not quarrel, you and me. I don’t want any fighting because we’re family. We’re brothers.”

In Genesis 13:9, Abram says, “Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left.”

I love Abram’s posture in this verse—follower of God, considerate, peacemaker. “You pick first, nephew. I’m fine with whatever you choose.”

I think Abram’s indifference as to the land he would call home demonstrates his trust in Yahweh God. He called on the name of the Lord; he trusted that God was sovereign over everything and would remain so regardless of whether he got the land to the left or to the right.

What about in my own life? Do I prevent unnecessary quarrels and fights because I trust that my God is sovereign over the matter? Do I have a tight grip on the good things God has blessed me with? Or do I loosen my grip, smile and trust God with my present and my future?

No Bible character except one is perfect. Certainly, Abram had flaws. But he’s commendable here for trusting God, being a peacemaker, and considering others before himself. And God continued to bless him.

Donielle Winter
EFCC Member

by Donielle Winter

The Wound Is Where the Light Gets In

Most of us spend a lot of our lives trying to avoid getting hurt and running away from the famine.

We manage outcomes. We protect ourselves. We keep people at a distance. We hide the parts of our story that feel too fragile, too painful, too exposed. If we’re honest, we don’t just want healing, we want control. We want a life where nothing breaks.

But that’s not how life works. And it’s not how God works either.

In his song “The Wound Is Where the Light Gets In,” Jason Gray captures a truth that feels both uncomfortable and strangely hopeful: the very places we try to cover up are often the places where God wants to meet us most deeply. The wound isn’t just something to fix; it can become a doorway. Not because the pain is good, but because God is good in the midst of it.

That runs counter to everything in us. We assume our strength is found in holding it all together. But Scripture paints a different picture, one in which God’s grace flows most freely into the cracks, where His power is made perfect not in our strength but in our weakness.

What if the places you feel most broken aren’t barriers to God’s work… but the very places He wants to bring His light?

That’s the invitation.

Today, listen and reflect on the way God might want to meet you and shine through you in the midst of seasons of famine.

Jason Gray - The Wound Is Where The Light Gets In (Lyric Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjaZGss9tQQ

The Daily Fill Staff

by Anonymous