Bible Stories › When God Shows Up
Bible story · Judges 6:1–24
Hiding in the Winepress
Read it yourself in the King James Bible: Judges 6:1–24 ↗
“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”
Judges 6:12 (KJV)The Story
For seven years, the Midianites swept into Israel every harvest and stripped the land bare. The people hid in caves and mountains. A young man named Gideon was threshing wheat, but not out on the open threshing floor where the wind could carry the chaff away. He was down in a winepress, a pit in the ground, hoping no one would see him.
That’s where the angel of the Lord found him, and his first words were startling: “The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”
Gideon didn’t feel mighty. He felt forgotten. “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened?” he asked. “My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I’m the least in my father’s house.” God didn’t argue with his résumé. He simply answered, “Surely I will be with thee.”
Reflection
God didn’t wait for Gideon to come out of hiding before calling him. He met him in the pit, mid-fear, mid-doubt, and named him by who he would become, not by who he was that day.
More Bible stories from Judges. More about: Fear and Courage · Feeling Weak or Unqualified · Gideon
Did this story speak to you? I’d love to hear what you think. Tell me
Day 1 of Book 1
Keep reading in When God Shows Up
The full day includes the rest of this reflection, a prayer, and three journal questions. A 30-day devotional on faith, courage, and trusting God.
Get 7 more Bible stories free, plus one each week by email.
Send me the free devotional