LAND AND THE BLOOD SHED ON IT
And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from you hand.” Genesis 4:10-11
Now, this is a message we don’t hear much about. The land holds the memory of blood shed upon it. The land, as well as people, can be cursed and found begging for forgiveness.
The piece of ground upon which Abel was brutally murdered pulsated with the memory of the traumatic event. God could perceive its cry. That’s not surprising since He is also the One who says that the stones will praise Him. He hears the sounds of earth that are undetected by men.
Some time ago, I was invited to hold a Prayer Mapping Conference at a Christian retreat center. My assistant, Elizabeth, and I were confused when we encountered some of the worst spiritual warfare we had ever experienced. As I tried to teach, I could feel the swirling of evil spirits around my head. It was hard to think, even get words out Our normal kind of warfare praying didn’t bring freedom. After the first day had ended, God led Elizabeth and I to do a history of the retreat center, what it had been originally. Providentially, God led us to discover that the very site we were sitting on had been the place where the Underground Railroad ended during the Civil War. It was the stopping place where thousands of battered and wounded slaves got off the train. Trauma still marked the place.
We covered this in prayer, asking God to release the land from the effects of the memories. We dedicated that land to God and asked that He bless now, in full measure, the ministry of the retreat center. Teaching that day was a different experience. The room was peaceful and the ministry fruitful.
As Christians pray over their homes, we must also remember to cover the land that our homes sit on. We never know, from history, what the ground remembers. Isaiah, as well as many others, reinforced this. “For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.” Is. 26:21
How the earth and its inhabitants cry out for a redeemer! And there is One. We just need to ask our Redeemer, Jesus, to forgive and cancel the curse of sin. Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, and sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:24
There are many ways for me to rule my garden. Bringing freedom to the land is your mandate. You promised to heal our land if there is repentance. Amen.
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Thursday, 29 February 2024.
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