OUT OF THE DARK
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.
If only you had paid attention to My commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Isaiah 48:17-18 NIV

Ok, ok, I’ll admit it, I’m hiding in a wine press! In the darkness, I am thrashing, and stomping and frantically beating my head against a wall. And oh boy can I whine, in the wine press, no less.

But Lord, I hate doctors! I hate tests! I hate being sick! Put anything upon me, but this! Why, oh why are You doing this?
For you see losing my physical health and strength is one thing I fear and struggle with most.

But let’s go back to the beginning. Actually let’s go back farther than my beginning. Let’s go all the way back through the ages to Israel in the time of the Judges, when God’s people were making a habit of rebelling against Him.

Oh, while Joshua was alive, Israel followed and obeyed God. But once “that generation had been gathered to their fathers a new generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord or what He had done for Israel. Then Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the baals. They forsook the Lord the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshipped various gods of the peoples around them.” Judges 2:10-12

God’s people forsook their God and provoked the Lord to anger, so He handed them over to raiders and plunderers who Israel could not stand against. Whenever they went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against His very own people so they would be defeated by the enemy. Then, the people of Israel, being in great distress, would cry out to the God they had forsaken.

So God, upon hearing their cries, raised up judges, men and women, who He enabled to deliver Israel out of the hands of their oppressors. As soon as the judge died, the people would once again turn to evil ways, even more corrupt than the generation before them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn sins.

Then God would bring upon them an enemy to raid, plunder and oppress them, until the people, in great distress, would cry out to Him, once again. Then He would raise up a judge, a deliverer, to rescue them from great oppression. This happened over and over for hundreds of years.

Our story opens after the fourth judge, where it says, “And again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” Judges 6:1 These words are repeated many times in this book.
For seven years the Lord had given His people over to the hands of the Midianites.

Actually the Midianites, the Amalekites and all those other Ites would ban together and came swooping down upon the land like locust, destroying crops, killing animals and ravaging the land. There were so many of these Ites, they were impossible to count.   The former mighty people of the Almighty, ran, they didn’t even try to fight since their enemies were so powerful. They ran and hid in caves, they had prepared, shelters in the clefts of the rocks and crevices, even strongholds as a last ditch protection if needed.

I can imagine how I would find hidey-holes in my Red Hills, crawling way back in crevices in the scoria, braving the rattlers and badgers to avoid some fearsome enemy coming against us. I would stash blankets and food in metal cases and water in these caves. When the enemy swarmed down, like locust on a green field, I would run, with my dog, and husband, to my place of safety and hope against hope they wouldn’t find my caches of food stored for the winter.

The Israelites became so desperate, after many years, they cried out to the Lord for help.
So God sent a prophet with this message, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave their land to you. I said to you, I am the Lord your God. Do NOT worship the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. BUT you have NOT listened to Me.” Judges 6:9-10

It is harvest, the time when the Midianites always swoop down to annihilate the crops and steal harvested grain. Gideon is hiding, not in a cave in the hills, but in a wine press. Gideon, a strong young man of lowly descent, whose father actually owns a Baal alter, seems the less likely person for God to choose as His deliverer.

The wine press was often a hole in the ground, lined with bricks or carved from solid rock. Sometimes a structure was built from bricks, with high walls, but Gideon is hiding so it makes sense it was in the ground out of sight. Usually people would stomp the grapes with their bare feet. (wouldn’t that be fun?) Gideon, however is not stomping grapes, he is threshing wheat.

Normally the wheat would have been threshed on a threshing floor, usually located on the top of a hill, where oxen or donkeys stomped on the wheat, as they were driven around the circle. Sometimes if animals were not available, a flailing board, that had rocks imbedded in it, would be used to beat the wheat by hand. (Some farmers were just not innovative.) After it was stomped on or beat, people with winnowing forks would throw it up in the air so the wind could carry the chaff away and the grain kernels fell to the floor.

I know around here I can tell when the neighbors up wind, even many miles away, are combining wheat. There is a certain smell from the fine chaff that is blowing on the wind and usually my sinuses and eyes attest to the fact that even though I can’t see it there is chaff flying my way.

So Gideon was winnowing wheat the hard way, by hand with a board and with no wind in the wine press to help. Flailing and stomping, thrashing and sifting, he frantically struggled to garner enough grain to last the winter. His head was down as he focused totally on his frantic work. Down in a hole, in the dark, he doesn’t see a man walk over and sit under a nearby oak tree.

This man is not just any man, He is the Angel of the Lord. In the old testament this term is used for none other than the reincarnate Jesus Christ. Yahweh, or the Lord Himself. However, our hero didn’t notice the man until He spoke.

“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Meaning, I, the Lord, am with you.

The mighty warrior part is laughable. Gideon is hiding in a wine press, for a good reason sure, but he is not even brave enough to stand on a hill and thresh his wheat. He’s timid, he’s admitably weak. He is shaking in his boots, er sandals. He whimpers and he whines. I wonder does everyone who is hiding in a wine press whine?

I can see him peek out of the hole and upon seeing the ordinary-looking, Israelite stranger, let out a big sigh of frustration. You know the feeling, “Who is this? Don’t people know I have work to do!” Out of good manners he does climb reluctantly, out of the wine press to talk to this visitor.

He says, “But sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” (from Judges 6)

Evidently Gideon did not read the prophet’s memo.

Give Thanks

For quite awhile now, an enemy has been coming against me. A powerful enemy that has me shaking in my boots. Digestive problems have plagued me off and on for years, rapidly gaining momentum until lately they are not only camped outside my borders but they are infiltrating and attacking my good health. So, like Israel, I run and hide. Like Gideon, I hid in a dark wine press, concentrating on my tasks at hand, hoping it would go away. I pleaded with God to vanquish the enemy and wipe out my discomfort and pain.

And like Gideon I am a bit cranky. I question God. Why are You allowing this? Where are You in this? I have to say, I grumble and complain. A LOT. Like I said, bad health is something I do NOT deal with well.

So I hid in the dim wine press and I saw only darkness. The grumbling spread to all parts of my life. I could only see the negative. The light did not seem to be shinning any where in my life.

God’s joy was trampled like the wheat Gideon stomped on. Is God shaking me? Is He beating me, like Gideon was doing to the wheat? Is He trying to separate me from sin and bad attitudes? Maybe He’s shaking some sense into me.

To tell you the truth, I was tired of the enemy stealing my joy, robbing my peace and completely annihilating any contentment in my life. And so was my husband! With my head down I was frantically striving to resolve my problem. With my eyes on my task, I beat my head against the wall. I didn’t even realize my Lord was nearby.

Until I heard the voice of my Savior calling, “Wendy! Get out of the dark wine press! Come to Me!
Why are you doubting Me? You trust Me. I am still faithful, am I not? Open your eyes, see My blessings. They are there even in your troubles. They are there especially in your trials. Lift your head. Look at the sunshine. Feel the warmth on your back. You see only the darkness. You forget to thank Me.”

Suddenly I knew He was right. Of course He is always right! I had been grumbling a lot, grumbling about my husband’s irritating habits. Yet what if my husband was no longer here with me? What if I was alone? How can I grumble about my wonderful husband? After all he is the greatest blessing God could give me, is he not?

I had been complaining about my health issues, complaining about the heat, complaining about my work in the garden or house. But yet what if I didn’t have a house to care for? The heat means the corn will grow, and doesn’t lots of work in the garden mean an abundant crop, in a drought year no less, which boils down to provision for the winter? Shelves of canned veggies is definitely a blessing!

I have been focusing on the negative, with my church, with my traveling, with the weather and of course with health issues. Am I missing the blessings?

Like right now I am blissfully (choke, choke) sipping my breakfast of chicken broth since I am on a 2 day clear liquid diet for some tests. Chicken broth! Man what I wouldn’t give to sink my teeth into some ham and eggs or even a chicken leg!
But alas here I am closing my eyes in anticipation of the delectable taste sensation about to hit my taste buds.

Ok, then! I sit up in surprise! It actually tastes good. It’s hot and soothing. “Thank You Jesus for this nourishing broth that I can eat, er drink, that gives me protein and strength.” I could be on a water only diet. Or eating and drinking nothing. Been there too.
You see I have forgotten that little command, that huge lesson learned, not once but many times, to give thanks IN all things.

In fact I forgot the whole passage in 1Thessalonians 4:16-18. This is how it goes:
“Be joyful always.” Not feel joyful but BE joyful. Being joyful is a choice.
“Pray continually.” Always, ALL the time, be connected to God, ready to thank Him praise Him and hand Him my troubles.
“Give thanks IN ALL circumstances.” Not necessarily FOR all things, not just in the pleasant things, but IN all things.
“For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This isn’t just a suggestion, but the direct will and command of our Savior and Lord.
So I climbed out of the wine press. I met my Jesus under the tree. With His finger under my chin, He tipped my face up and said, “Look at ME.”
I saw Him. His beautiful face shining with love filled my chilled heart with warmth. The glorious light of His presence flooded my troubled soul with peace. Sing, He said, and sing I did. With songs of praise to the King of the whole earth, joy flowed into every crevice of my being straight from His heart to mine.

My prescription:
Instead of complaining, be thankful.
Instead of worrying, pray.
Instead of fretting, give it to Me.
Instead of losing your temper, be patient.
Instead of crankiness, be kind.
Instead of grumbling, praise Me.
Instead of being negative, be joyful.
Signed, The Great Physician

“I will go before you and will level the mountains. I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord.” Isaiah 45:2-3