The Shield
Genesis 14:14-16 &
Genesis 15:1
I can't imagine the amount of courage it would take for me to lead 318 men in an attack on an army of barbarians. I would still be shaking from this experience. But then God comes along and says, "Don't be afraid, I'm your shield."
The situation doesn't have to be this bad for me to experience a sense of fear. Any little bump in life's road will do it for me: unexpected bills that there is no money for, the car breaking down, a medical problem in the family. Don't get me wrong - it doesn't put me into a tail-spin. But there's this background feeling of apprehension, this constant knowledge that there's trouble brewing. Trouble that I may not be able to handle.
This isn't what God wants for us. In these texts, God is talking specifically to Abram, but He says the same thing to the rest of us in Matthew 6:25. Being afraid is not part of God's plan - relying on Him is. He wants to be my shield - my very great reward.
It's hard to remember this when I'm in the midst of a crises. I try, but I know that I've made so many poor decisions in my life. I keep wondering if the current crises isn't just one of the consequences I have to face for not choosing wisely. But there it is - God says, "trust Me - I'll be your shield." This isn't a promise that I'll never have another problem. But it is a promise that I can count on Him to be there in the best possible way for me. If it's something I need to learn from, He'll be there to help me through it and to tutor me in that lesson. If it's a crises that I don't need to experience, He'll make sure I don't. His plan is better than mine - He always wants the very best for each one of us - always.
Genesis 15:1
I can't imagine the amount of courage it would take for me to lead 318 men in an attack on an army of barbarians. I would still be shaking from this experience. But then God comes along and says, "Don't be afraid, I'm your shield."
The situation doesn't have to be this bad for me to experience a sense of fear. Any little bump in life's road will do it for me: unexpected bills that there is no money for, the car breaking down, a medical problem in the family. Don't get me wrong - it doesn't put me into a tail-spin. But there's this background feeling of apprehension, this constant knowledge that there's trouble brewing. Trouble that I may not be able to handle.
This isn't what God wants for us. In these texts, God is talking specifically to Abram, but He says the same thing to the rest of us in Matthew 6:25. Being afraid is not part of God's plan - relying on Him is. He wants to be my shield - my very great reward.
It's hard to remember this when I'm in the midst of a crises. I try, but I know that I've made so many poor decisions in my life. I keep wondering if the current crises isn't just one of the consequences I have to face for not choosing wisely. But there it is - God says, "trust Me - I'll be your shield." This isn't a promise that I'll never have another problem. But it is a promise that I can count on Him to be there in the best possible way for me. If it's something I need to learn from, He'll be there to help me through it and to tutor me in that lesson. If it's a crises that I don't need to experience, He'll make sure I don't. His plan is better than mine - He always wants the very best for each one of us - always.
posted by d2 at 12:14 AM
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