Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:"Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." English Standard Version (ESV)
Yesterday we considered listening for God, to hear his "voice" when He calls as Samuel had to learn to do. One of the common examples of God speaking to His servants has been to tell them "do not fear", "don't be afraid". Fear, and the anxiety that comes along with it can have a paralyzing effect on our lives. It can keep us from doing what we are being called to do. How many times have you been on the verge of doing something but let the opportunity pass, you hesitated for a moment and then the opportunity was gone.
When we think of "fear not" in the Bible we may think of many examples, perhaps the angel speaking to the shepherd's at Jesus' birth, "fear not for I bring you good tidings of great joy". It may surprise you to see how many times this is mentioned in the Old Testament all the way back to the book of Genesis.
Through a vision, God said,
Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. - Genesis 15:1
When Hagar and her son Ishmael were banished from Abraham's land, an angel told Hagar,
Do not be afraid; God has heard. - Genesis 21:17
When Isaac was expelled from his land by the Philistines and forced to move from place to place, God appeared to him and reminded him,
Do not be afraid, for I am with you. - Genesis 26:24
When Jacob was fearful of traveling in his old age, God told him,
Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation. - Genesis 46:3
Is there something in your life that is causing, bringing you fear today? Turn it over to the Lord. Perhaps He is saying something like "I am your shield" or "I have heard you", or "I am with you" or "don't be afraid to go". Perhaps you can look back in your life to see where He has already said these things to you. Were you listening, will you listen today? Abraham listened, " he believed! Believed God! God declared him "Set-Right-with-God." The Message
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth (Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns)
-- In Christ, Mike Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
Genesis 15The Message (MSG)
15 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!"
2-3 Abram said, "God, Master, what use are your gifts as long as I'm childless and Eliezer of Damascus is going to inherit everything?" Abram continued, "See, you've given me no children, and now a mere house servant is going to get it all."
4 Then God's Message came: "Don't worry, he won't be your heir; a son from your body will be your heir."
5 Then he took him outside and said, "Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! You're going to have a big family, Abram!"
6 And he believed! Believed God! God declared him "Set-Right-with-God."
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