Gen 15:10-2 1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”

These are the first recorded words of Abraham speaking to God, and he is complaining and afraid! What do you think Abram is afraid of? He is afraid God’s promises are not going to come true. Abraham is not angry and he is not unbelieving. But he sure is struggling!

Here is one of the things I love about the Bible – it never idealizes those we read about in scripture. Abraham is not presented as a perfect character with this amazing, dynamic faith. It doesn’t say that God looked at Abraham and thought “Look at this guy – what a great fellow he is! I owe him a blessing!” Instead, the Bible presents Abram as a lot like you and me – his faith is often plagued with doubts and fears. If the father of faith struggled to trust in God’s promises, then it is not surprising that we will struggle too.

Follow Abraham’s example and take your weak, piddling faith to God – tell Him just what you are afraid of. You may ask, won’t God be offended? No, he won’t. Taking your fears and struggles to God is always the right thing to do. Remember, God Himself is our shield and our great reward.