“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’”
Genesis 15:1

In chapter fourteen, Abraham had just experienced two great victories. First, he rescued Lot, and then he resisted the temptation of the king of Sodom. He was able to do both of those things by relying on his God and enjoying the resources that were provided by Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who is a picture of the Lord Jesus.

After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram, preparing him for other types of conflict that would be more of an inner struggle, a time of “horror and great darkness” (v. 12). The events foretold in verses 13–14 came to pass in Genesis 46 and throughout the book of Exodus, when the nation of Israel became strangers in Egypt.

Oftentimes, after great victories, the enemy attacks through doubts, fears, and uncertainty. But we see in our verse how the Lord encourages Abram through His Word, saying, “Do not be afraid… I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” The Lord wanted Abram to rely on Him—not on his victories and not on his own abilities. Abram had just refused the gifts of the king of Sodom, who is a picture of this world. Faith that conquers fear is faith that relies on the Word of God! The Word of the Lord comes at this moment and says, “Do not be afraid.” This is the first time these words are spoken in Scripture, but they are repeated over and over again.

God’s remedy for our fear is to remind us of who He is: “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward!” He is the great I AM, and He is enough to meet our every need and quench every doubt. We need only to be still and know that He is God!

He also assured Abram that He was his shield for protection and his exceedingly great reward for provision. As our Shield, He is able to quench all the fiery darts of doubt and fear that come our way. We must hold up the shield of faith in order to have victory, and He will be our Shield. But not only that, He is able to replace all our fears and doubts with His provision for the pathway. The provision He wants us to be occupied with is Himself. He is our exceedingly great reward! He goes on to tell Abram what He will do for him (vv. 2–6) and what He has done for him (vv. 7–21), but it all began with what He is to him.

Âncora de hoje:
Friend, if you have the great I AM, what else do you need? He is able!