Read Judges 6 & 7
The name Gideon actually means “Mighty Warrior.” But, when the angel of the Lord appeared and told him to lead the fight against the Midianites, “Mighty Warrior” was hiding in a winepress. The angel tried to bolster Gideon’s courage by adding, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Gideon’s response:
“If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” Judges 6:13
The answer is found in verse 1 – “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years He gave them into the hands of the Midianites.” The Lord hadn’t left the Israelites. They left Him. Fortunately, Gideon stepped up and led the Israelites to a resounding and miraculous victory over their oppressive enemy.
There are consequences for messaging God that He’s not needed. After 9-11, someone asked Anne Graham Lotz why the Lord would allow such a travesty to happen. Her response, “For years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools . . . our government . . . our lives. And being the gentleman that He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect Him to give us His blessing and protection if we demand He leave us alone?”
I encourage you to research how violence and immorality have increased in the United States since the early 1960’s–when prayer was eliminated from public schools. Maybe it’s time we put out the welcome mat and invite the Lord back where He belongs–in our schools . . . our government . . . our lives.
What will get you out of the winepress?