“…the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision saying, ‘Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.”

Gen. 15:1 KJV

Abraham’s encounter with God changed everything in his life.  As a result, he left everything to follow God!  (Gen. 12: 1-4).  It was a decision that he never regretted.  Abraham continued to follow God for the rest of his life!  He did not walk perfectly, but he did walk faithfully.  There were times when he made some bad decisions.  Such decisions were made when he relied upon himself rather than seeking God (Gen. 16). And he suffered the consequence of those decisions (Gen. 21:12-21).  But he never quit.  The course of his life was set!  For Abraham, there was no going back!

In Genesis 15 God gave a profound revelation and promise to Abraham.  Abraham would never need to fear those who would oppose him or come against him, for God Himself would be his shield.  God Himself would be his protector.  God Himself would also be his provider.  God Himself would be his greatest reward! 

No one can genuinely follow Jesus without experiencing opposition (John 15:20).  That opposition can be subtle or it can be open and direct.  Open and direct opposition is becoming more common and intense in our culture as our nation continues to abandon God.   But like Abraham, we have nothing to fear!  The Lord told us that such things would happen (Luke 21:17).  But  like Abraham, we can take great comfort in the fact that “the Lord is our shield and our great reward!”  The promise that God made to Abraham also belongs to us, because we are the spiritual children of Abraham.  (Gal. 3:29).

Therefore in an increasingly hostile culture, we do not need to fear.  We are still His light and His witness in a dark world.   He will be “our shield and our great reward!”   He will help us, direct us, and guide us.  He will take care of us no matter what!  And Christ Himself is our greatest reward!   

James W. Black