"After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram" (Genesis
15:1). This verse means, "After Abram looked around fearfully at the
enemies surrounding him, after he felt dejected that he hadn't made
any progress, the Word of the Lord came to him."
The first thing God told Abram was, "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield,
and thy exceeding great reward" (same verse). In this single verse,
God has given us the secret to the greatest blessing any believer
could ever have. The meaning for shield here in Hebrew is "protector,
defender." This verse means, "I will fight for you and I will be your
champion."
The Lord is telling Abram, “Go ahead and look at all those armies
surrounding you. Nobody can touch you because I am your protector.
Entrust your life and future into My hands.”
This same verse tells us the Lord is much more than a shield to us,
though. He is also our exceeding great reward. God says to Abram, "You
will have your son, and he will be a joy to you — but I will be the
One who fulfills your deepest needs."
God knows all about human nature. He knew that Abraham would have a
great measure of joy when he got his son. Abraham could then say, "God
did it! He promised this to me, and He kept His Word." Yet God also
knew that Abraham would not be totally fulfilled when the child came.
He would still have an inner hunger, a restlessness, an inexplicable
need that no human could touch.
Isn't this what happens to us when we finally get the thing we have
wanted so badly? All along we think, "If only I can get this one
thing, I'll be happy. It will make my life wonderful and end all my
problems." No, it won't! Only the Lord Himself can fully satisfy our
deepest need.
Our High Priest says, "The secret of My blessing is that I am what you
are looking for. I am your reward — your answer — your blessing."