«Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites» (Judges 6:11, NLT).
Gideon was totally out of place. By telling us he was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress, the Bible paints an image of desperation. It is as if we saw a mother preparing a meal in the basement of her house, in the middle of a war. She does not turn the light on, or make a sound; she does not even open a window so the aroma will not catch her enemies’ attention. The Midianites ransacked Israel. As soon as the golden wheat grains were gathered and stored in storehouses, they would appear to destroy it all, like a plague. That is why we find Gideon out of place, trying to do the impossible: to thresh wheat at the bottom of a winepress.
In those days, wheat was threshed out in the open, shaking it so the wind would blow the chaff away, and the heavy grains would fall to the ground. But, since Gideon was hidden at the bottom of a winepress, wind was nowhere to be found! Winepresses at that time were made by digging two pits on a rock, one above the other. Grapes were pressed on the top one and their juice drained to the bottom one. Gideon was
at the bottom of the winepress, in the deepest pit. This man, hidden in the depths of a rock, is precisely the one to whom the angel of the Lord says, «The Lord is with you, mighty warriot’ (Judges 6:12, NIV). Gideon was out of place; not because he was threshing wheat in a winepress, but because he believed he was too small and weak to act. In that encounter, God revealed His true identity to him and showed him his place.
Like Gideon, we are often out of place: prey to a false identity, wasting years, trying to thresh wheat at the bottom of a winepress, think we are too weak and there is nothing we can do. However, God finds us, hidden in the depths of our insecurity, and tells us: «The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.» If we accept our true identity and receive His call, we will be able to face the Midianites and destroy them. God gave you power, strength, and wisdom. You are a mighty warrior: that is your true identity. Come out of hiding, it is time to fight!
Dear Lord, when I think I am weak and insignificant, You remind me of my true identity, receive me, and give me a mission. I am a mighty warrior because You are beside me.
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Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate.
