No Safety from the Storm

Genesis 15:1 – God told Abram, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."  


This is the first time God refers to himself as a shield.*  Let's pause for a moment... God said, "I am your shield."  I find this interesting... if God is speaking to you, audibly, why would you be worried about needing a shield?  If God is speaking to you, audibly, why would you be worried about needing anything?   Good grief, God's talking to you!  Why did God have to say to Abram, "don’t fear I am your shield?" 

I'm guessing there's something in that sentence uttered to Abram that should give us a clue about God's expectations.  A shield isn’t for running away from battles.   Apparently God is going to allow us to go into battles.  If not He would’ve said, "Fear not, I am your Nike’s.  You will run swiftly away from all things negative or troublesome."  Curious.  God says, “Don’t fear, I am your shield.”   Specifically “shield”.  A shield serves a purpose.  It protects someone in danger.  When God moves in your life you will move into battles, trouble, calamity, challenges, experiences, mountains, valleys, and difficult times.  It’s not a shield to go away from danger but into danger. 


There is no safety from the storm.  There is only safety in the storm.

*Sometimes commentators of Scripture will talk about the law of the first occurrence or mention.  This refers to the first time a word or phrase is used in the Bible.  It's helpful to pay attention to the first mention because it's being mentioned in such a way as to highlight the essence of the word or phrase throughout the rest of Scripture.  The dialogue between God and Abram in Genesis 15 contains several 'first occurence' phrases.