Genesis 15: After these things the word of The Lord, the Great I Am,  came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. 

 And Abram said, O Lord, the Great I Am,  what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?

³ And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

⁴ And, behold, the word of The Lord, the Great I Am,  came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir; But he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

⁵ And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

⁶ And he believed in The Lord, the Great I Am; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.

Exodus 15:2-3 The Lord, the Great I Am, is my strength and song, And he is become my salvation: This is my God, and I will praise him; My father’s God, and I will exalt him.  The Lord, the Great I Am, is a man of war: The Lord, the Great I Am,is his name.

Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

There are three stories of great health and balance in relationship and provision here.  Each shows us a people being sustained and promises being fulfilled.

In Genesis, the Father, promises Abram to be his shield and his exceeding great reward.  He promises to make him prosperous and as immense as the stars of the sky.  In Exodus, Moses walks among millions of people that have been birthed and sustained and delivered of this very promise.  In Psalm 84, David rejoices in the continuance of the blessing as it is being lived in the nation in great prosperity and victory over enemies.

Abram had believed for years and seen great works of God.  This was turning point of faith.  Even at a later point, he would father a child at 99 years old and live to see him grow to adulthood.  That is health.

Moses started in the house of the enemy of the people.  Next he spent 40 years in the desert learning the heart of God.  Next he spent 40 years leading a nation to the future chapter of their lives.  At 120 years old it is written that his eyes did not dim and his natural strength remained.

David was born to a mother that was not his father’s wife.  This embarrassment meant being place away from the rest in his daily chores.  He conquered any depression or lack of esteem that would accompany such treatment through faith in the Father.  Through many wars, he conquered in the name of the Lord, the Great I Am.  At a healthy old age, he had much prosperity.

The song of Moses starts with the promises given to Abram, later to be named, Abraham.  In Exodus 15 Moses is singing of the greatness of his Lord, the Great I Am. Even as you read through this chapter of Genesis 15, you will find that The Father tells Abram of the captivity and release of his future generations.  David represents a full national status for the heirs of Abram’s promise and Moses’ deliverance under a faithful and Godly king.  The three stories that are separated by hundreds of years are one and the same.  They are a single thread of the Father’s faithfulness to provide balance and protection and healing in our lives.  Yet, it is only in Jesus that the fullness of the promises are met.

That is the strength and provision and protection of a healthy relationship with the Father.  All three of these men had incredible challenges to face on a moment by moment basis.  All three faced disease, discomfort, war, famine, threats, disunity and a myriad of other disruptions of grace and peace.  All three kept coming back to the Lord, the Great I Am, and find restoration, healing, victory, provision.  They lead us to the full release of the promise in Jesus, the Christ.

Paul, the great writer and minister of the Greatest Promise, refers to this shield as The Shield of Faith.

⁶ And he believed in The Lord, the Great I Am; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness….. Abram

Hebrews 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned..   Moses and the people

Hebrews 11:32-35  And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again.  …..David and others

This faith, trust in the Lord, The Great I Am, belief that brings right standing before Him and restoration even of the dead to life again is a key element of the walk of full health in Christ.

This shield is for you.  Under the banner of faith in Jesus, the Christ, who was promised at the beginning to Adam then Abram and others and given to us through the faithful persistence of these and other men, you can walk in confidence and surety of protection and provision and restoration and a graceful and peaceful life .  No matter the conflict, He is there.  He promises.  He shields.