Just Because It's Hard Doesn't Mean God's Not In It

I'm reading Genesis again, and I'm struck for the first time with God's great call on Abram's life. He asks the man to leave everything and "go to the land I will show you." There would be blessing! There would be greatness and prosperity! 

So Abram follows God into a new land, and instead of prosperity, he finds a great famine there. I'm not kidding. It's right there in Genesis 12:10. This doesn't sound delightful or promising to me. This doesn't sound very glamorous. This sounds hard and unfair. Where's the blessings, greatness, and prosperity?

So I keep reading, and then I find that wonderful truth we've all been waiting for:

"After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield and your very great reward'."

I am your shield and very great reward. 

God himself is the very great reward. That's why, even in a great famine, we still have our shield and great reward. We still have our blessing, our greatness, and our prosperity. It's God.  No matter what kind of scarcity--whether resources, relationships, insight, or health--we have a great reward in the midst of the famine.

And perhaps that's the only way we know it to be true. Perhaps that's why God called Abram--not to glorious abundance--but to famine.

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Believing this truth makes all the difference. Have you found this to be true?