Why We Count the Omer: From Deliverance to Destiny

It might seem strange that God asks us to count days—but it's not just about marking time. It’s about soul preparation. In this episode of the HHP Podcast, Pastor Chris Franke of HFF Church dives deep into the meaning of the Omer count: a sacred 50-day journey from the cross (freedom) to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (revelation).

Discover why God values the process, how it mirrors Israel’s journey from Egypt to Sinai, and why you are called to reflect, anticipate, and prepare. Jesus is the First Fruits—risen for a greater harvest—and the Holy Spirit is the promised helper to lead us into deeper relationship and transformation.

 

#CountTheOmer #JesusFirstFruits #HolySpirit #Pentecost #Shavuot #SpiritualGrowth #ChristianPodcast #BibleStudy #FaithJourney #HHPodcast #ChrisFranke #HFFChurch #Discipleship #BiblicalFeasts #FromPassoverToPentecost

 

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📖 Topics covered:

• Why we count the Omer

• The process from redemption to revelation

• Jesus as First Fruits

• Pentecost and the Holy Spirit

• Spiritual growth through reflection and anticipation

🙏 Support the podcast or learn more: https://hff.church 🕊️ Join us for Saturday Church in Oklahoma City at 10:30 AM

 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
It might seem silly that God calls us to count the days, but it's not just a mark time.
It's a preparation of your soul, a journey from freedom's first breath to the fire of divine revelation.
Each number whispers, "Wait, grow, and trust," as our hearts turn towards God.

(00:26):
Welcome to the HHP Podcast. My name is Chris Franke and I am the Senior Pastor of HFF Church
in Oklahoma City. Join me and others from around the country as we talk all things Bible,
church, and family. We may be right, we may be heretical, but that's for you to decide.
Drop a like, a share, a comment, subscribe, and let's get to it.

(00:47):
Waiting, growing, trusting. Those all sound like church hurt is coming.
But the reality is, it's what God calls us to do. As our hearts turn from the gift
of the first fruits, the gift that we're giving to the giver, God, we turn our heart from the gift

(01:13):
to who God is. For Jesus, the first fruits is risen, which leads the way to our promise
of harvest yet to come, which is the helper. The helper is coming to help us become more like God.
Just like we had the Ark of the Covenant in the most holy of places, our heart is to be made into

(01:43):
a dwelling place for the most holy God. Jesus the Christ and the Spirit of Jesus is given
as the gift for the promising of the harvest to come. Over the next couple of weeks,
I want to look at five key elements of the Omer, Shavuot, Pentecost, the Holy Spirit,

(02:06):
and anything that ties to that. This week, I want to look at why. Why do we count the Omer?
Well, one is for us to mark the journey from our redemption at the cross to the revelation
as outpoured by the Holy Spirit. We see in Leviticus 23 verses 15 through 16,

(02:32):
this concept of counting the Omer, that it starts the day after the weekly Sabbath
during what is called the Feast of Passover. For us, we believe Passover and the Feast of Unleavened
Bread all come together, and it leads us to Shavuot, Pentecost, 50 days later. This mirrors

(02:55):
Israel's journey from being freed from Egypt, the Passover, where they were enslaved, to receiving
the Torah at Mount Sinai. Really no different than us being enslaved to the sin and death of this
world to be freed at the cross by Jesus, to then be no longer slaves, to be filled with the power

(03:22):
of receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. So, God is saying, "Don't just celebrate your
deliverance," which is something that the Israelites did forever. You don't just celebrate your
deliverance, you are to anticipate your destiny. Many people today still just remember and celebrate

(03:45):
the deliverance, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. We should, but we must also
anticipate the promises of your destiny. Freedom wasn't the end goal. Revelation, covenant,
and relationship with God were. Counting the Omer reminds us that salvation is a starting point,

(04:10):
it is not the finish line. Number two, to teach us patience and spiritual growth.
God could have delivered Israel, he could have given them the Torah in one day, he could have
wrapped all this up in a really short bow, but he didn't. Instead, he gave them time to prepare,

(04:34):
he gave them time to shed off Egypt, and the testimonies in the Old Testament show that
they absolutely needed that. It was a 50-day stretch that was all about growth, refinement,
and readiness. Think about that for a second. It was a 50-day stretch about growth, refinement,

(05:01):
and readiness. By counting each day, we're invited into a process of reflection, anticipation,
and preparation. Not a lot of people, unfortunately, who keep the feast really like reflection,
but it is a part of the entire story. Reflection, where have I been? Anticipation,

(05:29):
where am I going? If you're only looking at reflection, if you're only looking over
your shoulder of who you used to be, or where you used to be, or how you used to be, you're going to
miss what's in front of you. That's not going to cause you to change anything in your life,
which is then going to help you meet the goal of where you want to go.
Reflection is where have I been? It's very important for us to remember who, how, where we were,

(05:57):
but there's the anticipation. What is the goal? Where am I going? Where is the future?
Then there's the preparation. Who am I becoming in that time between where I was and where I'm going?

(06:17):
If you have arrived, you were never there. I want to say that again. If you have arrived,
you were never there. You might want to start all over someplace else. This is just like
we see in the agricultural society throughout scripture. The physical crops take time to

(06:41):
mature. So do we. God not only honors the process, He requires the process, and He is in the process.
If this podcast has blessed you, please consider supporting by visiting our website and making a
donation. For more resources, blogs, podcasts, please visit us at hff.church. Looking for a

(07:07):
church home? Join us for Saturday Church in OKC every Saturday morning starting at 1030.