Genesis 15:1

After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

When we think about being rich, what we’re usually thinking about is money. A rich man is someone who has lots of money and property in this world. When we think about protection, what we usually think about are guns, military or police. Abram did a pretty daring thing. He decided to fight against kings in order to get his nephew back and even though he won, he now had to deal with the fact that he was now in the region as force to contend with. I doubt that Abram liked that kind of attention. If I was in Abram’s position I would probably be tempted to be afraid of other kings in the area that might want to fight me just for the for sport of it.

Abram just turned down extra money from Sodom that he could have used to build his defenses. God was well aware of what Abram did. We see here that whatever God’s reason was, He decided to come to Abram in a vision and encourage him. It makes me happy to know that we have this kind of God; a God who chooses to encourage us when we are tempted to be afraid. I am even more amazed at what God said to Abram.

God told Abram that He was Abram’s protection and reward. What an amazing thing it is to have the Creator of all things be your protection and reward! What more could a person ask for? This is the same God that we as Christians call “Father!” God, the one who made everything, is our father and our protection and our reward. We have no need of anything else no matter how bad things make look on the outside. You cannot be richer than to have God Himself as your Father. God made all of the riches in the universe and to have God is to own everything! God truly is an “exceedingly great reward.”