Present Presence

In Genesis 15, we encounter Abram’s story just after he rescued Lot and had the encounter with the priest and king of Salem. “After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.’”

The Lord said to Abram, “Do not be afraid,” and then laid out a great promise. Frequent readers of this passage may miss an interesting twist. The promise was not “I will be your shield,” or “I was your shield,” instead, the Lord says “I am your shield.”

When putting trust in the Lord, some may tend to think in the future tense: “I will trust the Lord,” or “the Lord will help me.” But the Lord chose to express His relationship to Abram in the present tense. The Lord saying “I am” expressed the idea of His complete presence in each millisecond of life. The Lord offers a promise of His present protection: “I am your shield,” and the promise of present provision: “your very great reward.” In this way, the passage powerfully communicates the idea of sufficiency.

Sufficiency is a beautiful idea that can be difficult to accept. “Sufficient,” in today’s world, can leave us feeling anxious. If there is not more than enough, we tend to become nervous.

Sufficiency does not save up for later. Sufficiency requires faith and reliance on the promise for the future.

The Lord told Abram that his need was completely satisfied in that moment, and in His loving mercy, He comes and expresses His intimacy toward us in the present tense, just as He did for Abram. God is not bound in the ways we are. He establishes His constant love through His constant promise.

Right now, even in this moment, we can learn to breathe in His promise of sufficiency. Future events cannot be welcomed in faith until we simply believe “I am,” because He is.

Prayer for the week:

Dearest Lord: First, I obey you by accepting the admonishment of “Do not be afraid.” You know the full scale of my needs today. You see tomorrow and all of the details that are crushing in on my thoughts about the future. You love me so much that You come to me even at this moment. Right now, I declare my trust in you. I accept Your presence, Your protection, and Your provision. I will trust in You and put the burdens of my fears, worries, and concerns about the future into the hands of “I am.” Amen.

Anna Derbyshire is a pastor’s wife living in Fort Worth, Texas, USA, and has written curriculum for The Foundry Publishing.

Please note: All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of original publication but may have since changed.

Written for devotions.