“After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram” (Genesis 15:1, NKJV). This verse basically means that 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 “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly 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.” God is saying, “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 to my hands.” Moreover, this verse tells us the Lord is much more than a shield to us. 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 (as God later renamed him) would have a great measure of joy when his son was born. 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 answer, your blessing and your reward.”