bronze-sheild
Fear and Faith
November 13, 2015
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."
Genesis 15:1
In the Bible there are 365 times when God says to someone,
"Do not be afraid!"
(It's almost as if God wants us to have a reminder for each day.) The very first time that we hear these words is in Genesis 15.
Every time God says to someone, "Do not be afraid," you can be sure that the person is terrified. So why is Abraham so afraid? What is he afraid of?
Well, he had just led a bold surprise attack against an army of marauders, in order to rescue his nephew Lot. It was an amazing act of faith. But the next spring, when these same armies again swoop down to terrorize the Jordan Valley, they will be looking for one man: Abraham! The thought was terrifying!
So God gently assures Abraham that he, God, will be Abraham's shield. God will be the one to protect him. God says to him,
"I
will protect you Abraham.
I
will be your shield.
I
will be your Great Protector. Do
not
be afraid, Abraham."
Just as God wanted Abraham to trust him with his fears, God wants you and me to trust him with our fears. When fear wells up within us, for a health problem, for a financial problem, for a child, for a relational problem, for a problem at work, for anything, God says to us:
"Do
not
be afraid.
I
am your protector.
I
am your shield.
I
will take care of you."
You and I are in the school of faith. God wants to build people who will trust him with their fears.