Get Out of the Whine Press

 

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Have you ever heard a success story and thought, "Why can't that happen to me?" Everyone wants success but by the time a story is newsworthy, the hype makes it seem like it happened overnight. Hardly! Most success stories focus on the fulfillment of a dream, not the blood, sweat and tears behind the scene. Bill Wilson with Metro Ministries once said, "My overnight success took thirty five years." Kinda puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

Take a peek at what happened to another guy I know. If you're waiting on a dream and your confidence needs a boost, Gideon's doubt and pout is sure to encourage all of us spiritual wimps.

Gideon was hiding out in a winepress threshing wheat one day when the angel of the Lord came by for a chat. Now, I'm not a wine connoisseur and I don't know much about winepresses, but I had to wonder, isn't a wine press used to prepare grapes? Why is Gideon threshing wheat in it? Because this great man of faith was a wimp, that's why. His hopes were dashed, his confidence was shattered and he was ready to give up. He was hiding from his enemy, whining in a winepress.

 The angel of the Lord greeted Gideon as Mighty Warrior. Thankfully, God sees the potential in us long before we even know it exists.

"Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

"How can I save Israel?" Gideon whined. "My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

It's easy to look at Gideon's situation and think we would have responded differently. After all, he got the memo hand delivered from the Chief's right hand man. But how many of us have responded in kind when we hear the Lord prompt us?

"God, I can't write a book. I got a C in English."

"Believe for a mate? I can't even get a date!"

"Me? Start my own business? I wouldn't know where to begin."

"Fight for my marriage? It's a hopeless cause."

"Stay home with my children? We barely scrape by on two incomes."

"Stand up for righteousness? I get so nervous, I couldn't defend a lima bean."

"Believe for my healing? Both of my parents died of cancer."

You see, Gideon saw himself as defeated, but God saw him as victorious. Gideon looked at the circumstances, but God looked at the future and He was about to make a warrior out of a wimp. But the only way to do that was to take him to war. Gideon was about to be stretched. Girls, that's what God does with us too. We can't have a victory without a battle. Ouch.

Gideon's mission: Attack the Midianite camp. This was no small duty. The Midianites were so numerous that their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. After many jolts and shoves, pushes and prods, Gideon finally agreed to get out of the whine press and face his enemy. But no sooner than he had gathered his troops, the Lord declared a massive layoff. Ever been there? Finally relent to God's plan and without even blinking, He makes serious modifications to your plan? After several rounds of negotiations and plea bargaining, Gideon was almost down to nothing. His army endured a major downsizing from a substantial organization of 32,000 soldiers to only 300 men.

Turns out, Gideon's enemy wielded swords on each other. With only 300 men, Gideon, the former wimp who was undeniably outnumbered, earned his warrior stripes. Looks like God's strategic restructure was vital to victory. 

So when your attempts fail and your hope has faded, remember Gideon. Gideon was so not the obvious choice. Talk about high maintenance! He was unmotivated, lacked in the faith department and needed a lot of reassurance.  Plus, he used more delay tactics than a toddler employs at bedtime.

Clearly, if God can use a weakling, He can use you too! His specialty is turning wimps into warriors and sissies into saints. So keep pressing on. No matter how the odds are stacked, God still has a plan. If He tells you to do something, you can do it-but first, you gotta get out of the whine press!

 

Prayer:

Lord, I thank you that your grace is sufficient for me. Please help me to remember that when you call me to do something, it is not my own strength that enables me to succeed. Please equip me with the resources and confidence to do your will. In Jesus' name. Amen.  

© Christy Johnson 2008