Your Very Great Reward

I woke up one morning shaken from a bad dream. The kind that lingers—bringing a weight of sadness and anxiety you can’t quite shake.

And then God reminded me of something I had read the night before about Abraham, actually Abram at the time. God had not yet given him a new name.

In Genesis 15:1, the LORD said, “Do not fear, Abram. I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great.”

It sounds like Abram is going to have a lot of possessions and money, which was true. Abraham ended up with great wealth. But what it literally says is, “I am a shield to you; your very great reward.” That puts a whole new spin on this, doesn’t it?

The LORD is our very great reward!

He is what makes every day worth getting up for. Without God, we have no purpose, no assurance, no future. With God, we have fulfillment, direction, and hope.

This is why Abram “believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)

Abraham must have thought about these words often over his very long life. It must have spurred him on to remember God’s promises when circumstances didn’t seem to be the way he thought they should be, which happened frequently. It must have spurred him on to believe God when the LORD told Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son the following year, even though they would be 100 and 90 years old. It must have spurred him on to trust that God would miraculously save Isaac, Abraham’s promised son, from the sacrifice God asked him to make, and God did save Isaac!

But do you know when else Abraham probably remembered those words? After he messed up. After he had not trusted God. After he had placed Sarah in danger—twice—to save his own life.

And yet…God intervened and saved Sarah from harm. Even then, the LORD was Abraham’s very great reward.

How could that be?

Because of what Jesus, the promised seed of Eve, did on the cross. Jesus took those sins of Abraham upon Himself, and placed His own righteousness on Abraham and became Abraham’s very great reward.

So, those words can become our words.

• They are for you.

• In your fear.

• In your uncertainty.

• In your failure.

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Do not fear, child. I will be your shield, your very great reward!

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