“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”        Genesis 15:1 NIV

This is what the Lord is saying to Abram, “I am your shield. Abram, a practical defence against any force that would destroy you. Fear not. Nothing shall touch you unless I permit it. Do not fear – I AM!” Have you noticed how many times in the New Testament our Lord Jesus calms His disciples with these words, “Fear not”? The ground of His reassurance is always that He is with them. When the storm threatens to overwhelm the little boat. When the cold fist of fear clutches their hearts as they sense the shadow of the Cross on their path. When Peter goes weeping bitterly out into the night; his words ring in their ears – “Fear not.” ” Do not let your hearts be troubled.” (John 14:1a NIV). Why? ” You believe in God; believe also in me!” (John 14:1b NIV). But God is more than a shield. He says also to Abram, “I am your very great reward.” Our Lord is our dearest treasure, the only genuinely satisfying joy we will ever know. The sense of the presence of God is a far richer experience of joy than anything else the human heart can find. This is what Abram experienced when the Lord said to him, “I am your shield, your very great reward.” We never again read of Abram worrying about Chedorlaomer or the loss of Sodom’s wealth. All these pressures from without were fully met by the sense of God’s presence with him, there in the dark. The same is true for us.

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, thank You for being our Shield and very great Reward.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, we give thanks that You have never changed. As You were Abram’s Shield and very great Reward, so You are to us in Christ Jesus, Your Son, our Saviour and Lord. AMEN

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Psalm 42:1-11

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