FEAR NOT “After these things 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) God called Abram. This call required him to leave his country, people, and kindred, and journey into a land that God would give him. With this call came a promise, “I will make of thee a great nation, I will bless thee, and, make thy name great; and though shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee: in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 12) Abram (Abraham) obeyed the Lord, “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken to him…” (12:4) Later, Abram defeated a foe and rescued Lot bringing back all the goods, the women, and other people. The King of Sodom offered as a reward all the goods as a gift, but Abram refused these material things, because he had made a commitment to the Lord not to take them. It is then that the Word of the Lord came to Abram, “Fear not”. This is the first time these words appear in the Bible. In multiple places throughout scripture, these words appear over and over. With the “fear not”, God gave the reason why Abram need not fear, “I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” God reminded Abram that He alone is his protector and provider. It is in our obedience to God that we receive His blessing. When God leads us to do something for Him, the blessings come in obeying His plan and direction. We are not to protect or provide for ourselves, that is what the Lord promises to do. If we try to do what the Lord has promised to do, we fail miserably. When we realize we are trying to “protect or provide for ourselves”, we soon are overwhelmed by the fear. The Lord is our shield. He will defeat the enemies that come against us. He is our “exceeding great reward”. He knows everything we need, and will provide it exactly when needed. It is a challenge for even committed Christians to wait on God’s protection and provision, but wait we must. He knows His plan and what steps will be taken in following Him. Most of the time without even knowing it, the Lord is defeating our foes along the way. He has stored up any supplies we will need. His plan includes preparing us for what is ahead. This plan is revealed as we trust Him with all of our heart moment by moment. Faith builds our strength, whereas fear diminishes our faith. Today, some of you are overcome with many fears: the fear of failure, disease, financial disaster, or even death. Listen to these words and meditate upon them, “fear not”….Why? “I am THY shield and THY exceeding great reward”. Face every situation with faith, not fear, because the Lord is with you in every step of obedience you take.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 07:57:05 +0000