When I go on a journey I want assurance, especially if a trip has not gone well previously. I check and double check how long it will take me to get to the airport as, yes, I have nearly missed my flight due to bad traffic. I check that the gas tank is full, or at least has enough gas to get me wherever I am going because I have nearly run out of gas on a trip.
Abram set out to settle in a new country as God had told him. Then trouble occurred. He faced a famine. So Abram made the decision to go to Egypt. But he got thrown out of the country for pretending to Pharaoh that Sarai, his wife, was his sister. Then, back in Canaan, all out war occurred in the region and Abram’s nephew, caught in the middle, was captured. Abram sent his men to get his nephew back.
If Abram was shaken by all that happened, Abram still had God’s promises of “I will…” said over and over again to Abram. Then, God came to Abram and assured him of who he was:
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:1).
Abram had good reason to be fearful, after everything he had faced. But, he was not to be afraid of God.
God said “I am your shield.” A shield was certainly language that Abram knew. Abram had just sent his men to recover Lot, and no doubt shields had been used to protect them.
And then God told Abram he would be “your very great reward.” God would be sufficient for every situation. Perhaps as Abram heard those words he realized God had been sufficient in the situations he had just faced—scarce food, in Egypt, and in battle.
And yet, Abram responded to God on a completely different subject, the one thing that kept him awake at night, the one area in his life where God wasn’t showing up, where God wasn’t revealing himself as sufficient..
Abram said, “You have given me no children…” (Genesis 15:3).
Abram’s response to God’s promises and revelation about himself isn’t super spiritual showing his great faith but a very ordinary human reply, one that we can find reassuring when we are deeply bothered by something in our lives. Abram was, after all, just an ordinary person like you and me.
God had made huge promises to Abram but Abram couldn’t figure out how God would make him into a “great nation” if he didn’t have any children to start with. Sarai wasn’t getting pregnant.
It’s often the same for us. You believe God’s promises in the Bible apply to your life. You can know God has helped you overcome big challenges and that he is protecting you. You may have seen God be sufficient in many areas of your life. Maybe, to other people, you look like a person of strong faith, and you are, but underneath you are troubled deeply, one thing is not happening as it should.
Abram teaches us how to pray and approach God over that “one thing.”
Abram prays “Sovereign Lord” (Genesis 15:2). Commentators say this name for God is often used in the Bible when making a special appeal for help. We can use it in the same way too.
Abram places the problem firmly on God’s shoulders—”you have given me no…” God has to solve the problem.
Like Abram, you can say to God, “you have given me no ______________” Fill in the blank with the one thing that seems impossible in your life, where you are waiting for God to show up.
Use the following prayer to tell God what keeps you awake at night. Ask God to give you some real assurances that he is your shield and your great reward.
Pray
