Prayer ~ Lord, You told Abraham not to be afraid…and promised that You would protect and reward Him. Is that what You are saying to me…and to all others who believe in You?
Sometime later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great." Genesis 15:1
Meditate. When do you feel God’s protection?
The First Mention of a topic or theme is important in the Bible. This scripture
is the first mention of fear and protection in scripture. God is directing Abram
(before he became Abraham) not to be afraid, because He was promising to
protect and reward Abram. When you know that someone is protecting you, you
aren’t as likely to be afraid. Protection—especially from God Almighty—is
security. Another instance of God’s promise of protection occurred when God
spoke in a dream to Jacob, grandson of Abraham, while he was on a journey back
to Abraham’s homeland of Haran.
At the top of the
stairway stood the LORD, and he said, "I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather
Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs
to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as
numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the
west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the
earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What's more, I am with
you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you
back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you
everything I have promised you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said,
"Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it!"
But he was also afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is! It is
none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!" Genesis
28:13-17 (Underlined for emphasis.)
Jacob admitted that he was afraid—but he recognized that
God was in that place. God promised…the land and a great family…as well as
protection and His presence. This was similar to the promise—a portion of His
covenant—that God gave to Abraham as we see in the selected text Genesis 15, Do
not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.
Again, protection so that there would not be fear. That is great strength in
a relationship. When do you feel God’s protection?
Verse of Salvation ~ Then your salvation will come like
the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you
forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Isaiah
58:8
Memory Verse of the Week ~ “For I know the plans I
have for you,” says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for
disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
Friday’s Feast at the
King’s Table
We can’t live on bread
alone, but our bodies sometimes tell us just what we need by what we crave.
I was craving some beets recently and recalled a great grated beet salad that I had at an Indian restaurant a few years ago. It was simply fresh, raw beets grated, topped with slivers of jimaca and a simple vinegar dressing. Similarly, I grated a small fresh, raw beet and half of a fresh, raw, grated apple, topped with a splash of Mirin (Japanese rice wine) and rice vinegar. It was delicious. Sometimes you just have to go with what you crave. What are you craving these days?
© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M. Hunacek
Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character
Coins of the Bible: New Testament Stories
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