I AM YOUR SHIELD

This morning I read the fifteenth chapter of Genesis. This is the account where Abram reminds God that he doesn't have any heirs to whom he can leave his possessions and God then promises him an heir that will "come from your own body". He leads Abram out in the dark of night and tells Abram to look at the stars. He says, "Don't worry, Abram, your children will be as many as the stars are, so many they will not be counted." What an unbeleivable promise that was. He and Sarai were both a hundred years old and hadn't had a child yet so what on earth could happen to make them both fruitful. I'm quite sure there were no infertility specialists for them to run to in order to make this promise come true. No, Abram and Sarai waited on God. Have you ever been in God's waiting room in the game called life? I think we all have. It's not a pretty place to be or a very comfortable place. The fifteenth chapter of Genesis starts this way, " After all these things, this word of God came to Abram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Abram. I'm your shield. Your reward will be grand!" What a comfort that must have been to Abram. In spite of all that was going on around him, wars and rumors of war, all of which he was in the thick of, God comes to him in the night and reveals to him in a dream that he didn't have to be afraid. God had it all under control. Not only would God be his shield or protector but He had a gift tucked away for him as well. He was going to receive a reward. Isn't that the way our God works. Always has a surprise for us tucked up His divine sleeve. BTW, if you aren't aware, God was faithful to Abram and did fulfill His promises to Him. You and I can count on that same faithfulness from God.

The surprise He had for me this morning may not seems much to others but to me it was a sure sign of His presence with me and His direct involvement in my day to day, moment by moment life. I got up early to sit in my sunroom (too early for the sun) and commune with Him. I am finding that if I don't make a special effort to do that before anyone in my world wakes up, Satan will steal that time from me as sure as I'm living. After I read Genesis 15 and 16, I read a devotional booklet. After that came my prayer time. I use a book for prayer time that gives me a springboard from which to pray. It is a book laid our as a calendar with scriptures to pray each day. I find that using God's word to begin my prayer time works best for me. After all, I am after His will, not mine. What scripture do you think was the first on the page? Genesis 15:1, 1 After all these things, this word of God came to Abram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Abram. I'm your shield. Your reward will be grand!"

I don't know if that rocks your socks but it surely did mine. It confirmed for me that God knew we were meeting this morning and coordinated my scripture reading with my prayer time. It was an awesome moment for me. You see, I strongly believe that there is a spirit in me that I have little to do with. When I give Him opportunity, He feeds me in an organized way without my help. I only need to make myself available. Satan tries to prevent those moments but he wasn't successful this morning. I praise God for that "God moment" in my few moments with Him this morning.

Enjoy your day. Don't be afraid. He will be your shield. He promises you a reward for a life of faithfulness to Him. Hang on to Him, it's quite a ride.