April 27
Gideon
Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress…And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Judges 6:11-12 (NKJV)
Our first impression of Gideon is a bit of a humiliating one. He’s threshing wheat in a winepress. Most of us probably haven’t threshed wheat at any point in our lives, but suffice it to say, it’s not something that a person would ever do in a winepress.
The reason Gideon did so was because he, along with the rest of Israel, was living in fear of the Midianites. Gideon was afraid that they would take whatever his labors produced if done out in the open, so he figured the winepress would be a safe and secluded spot to thresh. That’s why there’s something significant about the Lord appearing to him and calling him a mighty man of valor as he’s sneaking and slinking around in secret.
Don’t miss this: God was making a point here. It’s as if He was saying to Gideon, “We both know how fearful and weak you are. Just look what you’re doing! But because I’m going to be with you from here on out, you’re going to be a mighty man of valor.” And when you read the rest of Gideon’s story in Judges 6-8, that’s exactly what God did.
Gideon is living proof that God doesn’t call those who are equipped but equips those whom He calls. He didn’t pick the strongest or boldest candidate out there to do His work. Just the opposite. He took a weak and cowardly man and made him into a mighty and valiant hero. Why? Because in so doing God would get the glory and not Gideon.
Sometimes we forget this principle. We look at our own weakness and deficiency and get discouraged thinking we can never be used by the Lord. But in fact, the weaker we are the more useable we are…and the more glory we’re able to bring God.
Think About It…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
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