The Greatest Reward
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.” – Genesis 15:1
Many times in this life we will witness people being rewarded and celebrated for their achievements. Sometimes those moments overlook our own efforts and it can be difficult to stay positive. When the promotion isn’t awarded, when the hard work is not appreciated, when no one notices the sacrifices – are all times when we need to remember that the greatest reward has nothing to do with this world.
The Lord Himself is our exceedingly great reward and nothing compares to the blessing of personally knowing the God of all eternity.
Dr. David Jeremiah told a story of a missionary couple, Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Morrison, who served in Africa for forty years and were returning to America to retire. This was in the days when most transcontinental travel was done by ship. As they steamed into New York Harbor, they had mixed feelings. Though glad to be home, they were concerned because they had no pension, their health was broken, and they were tired.
They discovered while aboard ship that President Theodore Roosevelt and his entourage were also on board, returning from a big-game hunting expedition in Africa. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the president as he returned from abroad. The president was met by a great delegation and with much excitement. Reverend Morrison couldn’t help feeling some resentment. There was no one to meet him. No one came to celebrate their return after forty years of faithful service.
“Honey, you shouldn’t feel that way,” said Mrs. Morrison.
“I can’t help it,” he said. “It doesn’t seem right.”
The missionaries slipped off the ship unnoticed, found a cheap room on New York’s East Side, and tried to figure out their future. That night, the missionary’s heart broke, and he said to his wife, “I can’t take this. God is not treating us fairly.”
His wife replied, “Why don’t you just go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord.”
A short time later, Reverend Morrison came out from the bedroom, and his face was completely different. His wife asked, “Honey, what happended?”
He said, “Well, the Lord settled it with me. I told Him how bitter I was that the president should receive this tremendous homecoming when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said, ‘But you’re not home yet.'”
Waiting can be hard especially when life seems unfair, but it’s in the waiting, in the Lord, that our strength is renewed. Because of Him we can mount up with wings like eagles, we can run and not be weary and we can walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
As today’s passage reminds us, “He is our shield, our very great reward!” We’re not home yet and in this life we’ll discover just how rewarding it is to serve Christ when we keep that truth in mind. Let us not become weary in doing good, for in the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
