Your Shield and Reward
Week 2: I AM Series - From Burning Bush to Bethlehem
Main Text: Genesis 15:1
Supporting Texts: Psalm 84:11, Ephesians 6:16
Introduction
You lie awake at 3 AM. The house stays silent except for the refrigerator's hum, and your mind races despite your exhaustion. Last week's victory feels empty now. The promotion brought unexpected pressure. The relationship you thought would complete you leaves you wondering if this is all there is. Your clean medical test should bring relief. Instead, you worry about what comes next.
Abraham faced this exact situation 4,000 years ago. He had won one of history's most significant military victories. Genesis 14 shows how Abraham led 318 men from his household to defeat four powerful kings and rescue his nephew Lot. Kings bowed to him. Wealth was offered to him. He was the hero.
Then night fell. Fear crept in.
God appeared with words that echo through centuries: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward" (Genesis 15:1).
Today, we continue our journey through God's "I AM" revelations. The God who met Abraham in his midnight fears meets us in ours. God offers more than protection and provision. He offers Himself.
1. When Fear Creeps In (Genesis 15:1-3)
Abraham's Midnight Fears
Genesis 15:1 begins with "After this." After what? After Abraham's stunning military victory. After he refused the king of Sodom's offer of wealth. After he received a blessing from Melchizedek. You would think Abraham would feel confident. Instead, God says, "Do not be afraid."
Why would Abraham be afraid? He feared retaliation from the defeated kings. He questioned his refusal of wealth from Sodom's king. Abraham's response in Genesis 15:2-3 reveals his deepest fear: "Sovereign LORD, what do you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus? You have given me no children. A servant in my household will be my heir."
Abraham was promised to be the father of nations. He had no children. The victory parade ended. He faced the same emptiness as before. His fear went beyond external enemies. He feared unfulfilled promises, the ticking clock, the gap between what God said and what Abraham saw.
After Victory Comes Vulnerability
Abraham's experience reflects our humanity. Our greatest fears often come after battle, not during it. When adrenaline fades and we sit alone with our thoughts, vulnerability sets in.
Peter walked on water in Matthew 14. He did the impossible, walking on waves toward Jesus. Then he noticed the wind. He was experiencing the miracle, but fear crept in. Elijah, in 1 Kings 19, was fresh off his victory over Baal's prophets on Mount Carmel. He ran in fear from Jezebel's threat and asked God to take his life.
Victory and vulnerability walk together. Promotions bring imposter syndrome. New relationships trigger old wounds. Answered prayers lead to responsibilities we question how to handle. Success frightens as much as failure because both reveal our deep need for Someone beyond ourselves.
Why God Shows Up
God doesn't wait for Abraham to call out. Genesis 15:1 says, "The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision." God takes initiative. He shows up uninvited but not unwelcome, unexpected but perfectly timed.
This pattern runs through Scripture. When Adam and Eve hide in fear after their sin, God walks in the garden, calling "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9). When disciples lock themselves in a room for fear of Jewish leaders, Jesus appears saying "Peace be with you" (John 20:19). When Paul feels discouraged in Corinth, the Lord speaks to him in a night vision: "Do not be afraid. Keep speaking" (Acts 18:9).
God shows up in our fear, not because we earned it or asked for it, but because that defines who He is. Psalm 34:18 declares, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." He doesn't wait for us to overcome fears alone. He meets us in darkness with comfort and revelation of Himself.
2. I Am Your Shield (Genesis 15:1, Psalm 3:3)
Protection from Enemies
When God tells Abraham, "I am your shield," He uses language a warrior understands. Abraham had returned from battle. He knew a shield's value. It meant the difference between life and death, victory and defeat. God doesn't offer Abraham a better military strategy or stronger armor. He offers Himself.
The Hebrew word "magen" refers to a small, round shield used in hand-to-hand combat. Personal protection, close and intimate. God doesn't promise help from a distance. God says, "I myself will stand between you and danger."
David understood this intimately. In Psalm 3:3, written while fleeing his son Absalom, he declares, "But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high." God provides complete protection, not just front coverage.
Scripture shows this truth repeatedly:
• When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace, God didn't prevent them from going in, but He was their shield in the flames (Daniel 3)
• When Daniel was thrown into the lions' den, God didn't keep him out but shut the lions' mouths (Daniel 6)
• When Paul was shipwrecked, bitten by a snake, imprisoned, and beaten, God was his shield by sustaining him through trials (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)
Defense Against Doubt
God as our shield protects us from more than external enemies. He shields us from internal attacks that often do more damage: arrows of doubt, discouragement, and despair.
Paul addresses this in Ephesians 6:16: "Take up the shield of faith, with which you extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." These flaming arrows aren't only temptations to sin. They're accusations, lies, and doubts:
• "God has forgotten you"
• "You're not forgiven"
• "God won't come through this time"
• "You're on your own"
Abraham knew these arrows. For years, he heard whispers: "Where's the son God promised? You misunderstood. God changed His mind. You're not good enough for God to keep His word."
When God says, "I am your shield," He protects Abraham from external threats and internal destruction. Psalm 84:11 states, "For the LORD God is a sun and shield. The LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless."
The Shield of Faith
This shield isn't passive. You must take it up, position yourself behind it, trust in its protection. Faith isn't believing God exists. Faith is entrusting ourselves to Him as our shield.
A soldier in battle needs to raise his shield. Knowing about its protective power doesn't help if you don't position yourself behind it. Knowing God is a shield doesn't automatically protect us. We must actively trust Him, deliberately hide ourselves in Him, and consciously choose to believe His promises over our fears.
Abraham faced this choice. When God said "I am your shield," Abraham could continue focusing on his childlessness and vulnerability, or trust in God's protection and promise. Verse 6 tells us his response: "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
3. I Am Your Great Reward (Genesis 15:1, Psalm 16:5)
Better Than Any Blessing
The second part of God's declaration to Abraham is more astounding: "I am your very great reward." Some translations render this as "your exceedingly great reward." The Hebrew suggests abundance, overflow, more than enough.
Notice what God doesn't say. He doesn't say "I will give you a great reward." He says "I AM your great reward." This is the gospel's heart centuries before the cross: God Himself is our inheritance, our prize, our ultimate satisfaction.
Abraham had refused great wealth from Sodom's king. In chapter 14, verse 23, Abraham declares, "I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or sandal strap, so that you will never say 'I made Abram rich.'" Abraham refused earthly rewards. God responds by offering something infinitely greater: Himself.
This truth runs through Scripture. In Psalm 16:5, David exclaims, "LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup. You make my lot secure." The Levites were told in Numbers 18:20, "You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them. I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites."
God Himself as the Prize
We live in a world constantly telling us what we need to be happy: more money, better relationships, greater success, perfect health, the right experiences. We often come to God with our wish list, treating Him like a cosmic vending machine. Insert prayer, receive blessing.
What if we have this backwards? What if the blessings we seek are meant to point us to the Blesser? What if the gifts are designed to lead us to the Giver? What if God knows that what we need, what our souls long for, is not something from Him but Him?
C.S. Lewis captured this beautifully: "God does not give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because there is no such thing." Augustine discovered this truth after years of searching, finally declaring, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."
Jesus addressed this in the Sermon on the Mount: "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). The "things" matter, but they're secondary. The kingdom, God's rule and reign, His presence and person, that's primary.
Redefining Success
If God Himself is our reward, success gets redefined. Success isn't having everything we want. Success is wanting the right Everything. Success isn't getting all our prayers answered as we hope. Success is discovering that the One we're praying to is the answer we didn't know we needed.
This transforms our perspective:
• When we face financial challenges, we remember our true wealth is in knowing the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10)
• When relationships disappoint, we find comfort in the Friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24)
• When our health fails, we cling to the promise of the One who is our eternal life (John 11:25)
• When our plans fall apart, we rest in the One whose purposes are never thwarted (Job 42:2)
This doesn't minimize our struggles or invalidate our genuine needs. Abraham still wanted a son, and God would give him one. But God wanted Abraham to understand that even the promised son wasn't the ultimate prize. God Himself was.
Paul discovered this truth through his journey of loss and gain. In Philippians 3:7-8, he writes, "Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, so I gain Christ."
The Ultimate Fulfillment: From Genesis to Jesus
Standing here in Genesis 15, we see a gospel preview. The God who declared Himself to be Abraham's shield and reward would ultimately demonstrate this through His Son. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of God's "I AM" declaration to Abraham.
Jesus is our shield:
• He stood between us and the judgment we deserved (Romans 8:1)
• He absorbed the wrath aimed at us (1 John 2:2)
• He defeated the enemies we could never conquer: sin, death, and Satan (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)
Jesus is our reward:
• In Him, we have every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)
• He is our inheritance that never perishes, spoils, or fades (1 Peter 1:4)
• To know Him is eternal life (John 17:3)
When Jesus said in John's Gospel, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11), "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35), "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), He continued the revelation that began with Abraham. God Himself, now incarnate in Christ, is our everything.
Is God Enough for You?
We return to where we started: those 3 AM moments when fear creeps in and victories feel hollow. The question confronting us today is the same one that confronted Abraham 4,000 years ago: Is God enough for you?
• When the test results aren't what you hoped...
• When the relationship doesn't work out...
• When the job disappears...
• When the children rebel...
• When the dreams die...
• When you've done everything right, and still, things go wrong...
Is God enough?
Or flip the question.
• When everything goes right...
• When you get the promotion...
• When the relationship flourishes...
• When your health is perfect...
• When your kids excel...
• When your dreams come true...
Is God still your most significant reward, or have the blessings become your god?
Abraham wrestled with this question in the darkness of his tent. After years of waiting, he would eventually hold his promised son Isaac. Then God would test him again, asking him to sacrifice Isaac on an altar. Why? Because God wanted to know, and wanted Abraham to know, whether Isaac had become his reward or whether God remained his ultimate prize.
The beautiful truth: when we hold God as our greatest reward, we hold everything else with open hands. We enjoy His blessings without being enslaved by them. We endure losses without being destroyed by them. Our shield and reward isn't something taken away. He is Someone who promises never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
Today, some of you are in your own Genesis 15:1 moment. The victories feel hollow. The fears feel overwhelming. The promises seem distant. God's word to you is the same as to Abraham: "Do not be afraid. I am your shield, your great reward."
This isn't empty religious talk. This is the living God offering Himself to you. Not his help, but Himself. Not his gifts, but His presence. Not answers to your prayers, but intimacy with the One who hears them.
The invitation today is not to try harder or do better. The invitation is not to overcome your fears through positive thinking or self-help strategies. The invitation is to believe. Take God at His word. Trust Him as your shield. Receive Him as your reward.
Will you let Him be enough? Will you stop trying to find your security in what you control and find it in the One who controls all things? Will you stop seeking your satisfaction in temporary rewards and find it in the eternal God who offers Himself to you?
As we prepare our hearts for communion next week, remember that the bread and wine point us to this ultimate truth: in Christ, God has given us Himself. He is our shield who stood between us and death. He is our reward who satisfies our deepest longings.
The God who met Abraham in his midnight fears meets you in yours today. He doesn't offer you a religious system or a self-improvement plan. He offers you Himself. The testimony of everyone who has truly encountered Him is the same: He is enough. More than enough. Exceedingly, abundantly, infinitely enough.
Is God enough for you?
The answer to that question changes everything.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You don't leave us alone in our fears and vulnerabilities. Thank You for being our shield when we feel exposed and our reward when we feel empty. Help us to believe, like Abraham, that You are enough, more than enough, for every season and situation of our lives. When we're tempted to find our security in what we see and our satisfaction in what this world offers, remind us that You are our shield and great reward. In Jesus' name, who is the ultimate revelation of Your protective love and satisfying presence, we pray. Amen.
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Blessings,
Pastor JM Raja Lawrence
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
email: lawrencejmr@gmail.com
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