I am a shield to you. Genesis 15:1
God had asked a lot of Abram. The Lord laid out an adventure for Abram that required him to leave his father’s house, journey to an unknown land, forget the ways and practices of his people and serve the Lord alone in a polytheistic culture where monotheism was unheard of. It was more than a step of faith–it was miles and miles of faith as Abram travelled to the land God had promised.
The Lord appeared to Abram in a vision, telling him that one day he would be the father of a great nation. Scripture records that Abram believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Abram’s faith–and our faith–mattered most to God. It’s by faith that we unwrap the gift of salvation and by faith we grow in the grace and promise of God. Faith is the thing God has delighted in most–not our emotionally distant fulfilling a list of do’s and don’t. But a life centered around a heartbeat of authentic faith.
When God spoke to Abram on this occasion, He greeted him saying, “I am a shield to you.” The word shield can mean a shield as we know it in our modern western context, but the word can also mean king/ruler, protector/warrior.1 Is God personally and experientially your shield? Is He the King of your heart and Ruler of your life? He is faithful to keep His promises, even in the situations where you cannot see Him working.
Abram had no children, both he and his wife we old and yet God’s promise of a child indeed came to pass. God renamed Abram based on the fulfillment of His promise to him–Abraham means father of a multitude.1 Ask God to show Himself to you as the faithful One who is your shield and great reward. How can you make the Lord the King of your heart in even your smallest decisions today?
Read Genesis 15 and Hebrews 11.
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