February 21

Courage and Obedience

After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.

GENESIS 15:1

In Genesis 12:1, God gave Abram a tall order. In so many words He said, “Pack up and leave everyone you know and everything you are comfortable with and go to a place I will show you.”

If Abram had bowed his knee to doubt and uncertainty, the rest of the story would never have come to pass. He would never have experienced God as his Shield, his great compensation, and he would never have received his exceedingly great reward.

In the same way, if Joshua had not overcome his fear and been obedient to God’s command to lead His people into the Promised Land, neither he nor they would ever have enjoyed all that God had planned and prepared for them.

There is power in God’s Word to equip us to stop bowing our knee in fearful uncertainty. We can do what God wants us to do, even if we have to do it afraid. When we’re intimidated by an obstacle, we can say: “Lord, strengthen me. This is what You have told me to do, and with Your help I am going to do it, because it is Your revealed will for me. I am determined that my life is not going to be ruled by fear but by Your Word.”

God doesn’t always deliver us “from” things; often He walks us “through” them.