Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16
"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007
 

SHIELDED

Print the article

This entry was posted on 02-09-2010 and is filed under STUDIES IN GENESIS.

"After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
    Do not be afraid, Abram,
    I am your shield;
    your reward will be very great.'" Gen. 15:1 CSB

Do you live with fear? Is fear your constant companion? If so, take heart from today's text. Even a great man like Abraham was somewhat plagued by fear. Otherwise, why would God have said: "Do not be afraid, Abram"? God recognized that the specter of fear had risen up in Abram. He told him not to be afraid. God would not tell him (or us) not to be afraid if we could not obey that directive! We can choose to quell our fears. We can choose to trust God instead of fearing our enemies or the unknown.

The key in this verse is the next phrase: "I am your shield." The shield was so very important in those days of battle. Remember, Abram and his 318 men had just come out of battle. Fear is one of the greatest enemies of a soldier. A good soldier must swallow fear when it rises in his throat. So God told Abram that He - the Creator and Sustainer of the universe - would be his shield. Shield of Shelter is the symbol of an insurance company. God is our Shield of Shelter in His assurance company. He cannot be harmed by the assault and onslaught of the enemy. When we put our trust in Him, He becomes our shield of faith. "In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Eph. 6:16 CSB).

Finally, God gives Abram a word of hope. "Your reward will be great." God is a rewarded of those who choose to live by faith rather than by fear. The Bible say so. "Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6 CSB). I don't know what rewards God has in store for you, but I do know that He will bless you if you fight back your fears by trusting Him. "Fear and faith cannot keep house together. When one enters, the other departs." (Author unknown) Faith in God will send fear packing!

Hymn/Prayer: "My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Saviour divine! Now hear me while I pray, Take all my fear away, O let me from this day be wholly Thine!" (Ray Palmer. I have taken the liberty of substituting the word "fear" for "guilt" in this stanza. ~ V.K.)



 

What did you think of this article?




Trackbacks
Trackback specific URL for this entry
  • Trackbacks are closed for this post.
Comments
    Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

    • 02-08-2010 Dan Johnson wrote:
      Reminds me of 1Peter 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
      Reply to this
    Leave a comment

    Submitted comments are subject to moderation before being displayed.

     Enter the above security code (required)

     Name (required)

     Email (will not be published) (required)

     Website

    Your comment is 0 characters limited to 3000 characters.



      
    Copyright . http://HONEYFROMTHEROCK.POEMINISTRIES.ORG. All rights reserved.