“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’”

— Genesis 15:1

Today, do you face something that you fear? Then let Abram’s example in Genesis 14 encourage you to endure and to trust God.

Four kings had traveled all the way from the Mesopotamia area and had invaded Israel, taking captive the kings of Zoar, Sodom, Gomorrah, and other cities. In addition, these kings had plundered a lot of the goods belonging to these cities.

When Abram heard that the kings had taken captive his nephew Lot, he gathered together a few hundred menservants, armed them, and took off in pursuit. After traveling some distance, Abram overtook the kings’ forces, freed all the captives, and returned all the goods. Despite his heroic feat, Abram refused to take any reward, saying that he would not have it spread abroad that he had become rich by the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In Genesis 15 we read, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’” After rescuing the captives, Abram had a great deal to fear. Four kings of good-sized nations were angry with him and could have come to exact retribution from him. But God, stronger and more powerful than those kings (and any tyrant on earth), told Abram not to fear, for God was his shield.

Like Abram, we face many fears—the trials and difficulties that come into our lives, our mortality, evil. This world is full of dangers, and so often we feel fear clutch at our hearts. Yet God comes to us again and again, saying, “Do not be afraid.”

The next time you feel fear creeping in, trust your Father who holds the future. He will bring you victory over every challenge you face.

“The fear of God kills all other fears.”
Hugh Black