Living Water #670

LIVING WATER EPISODE 670 || 4TH APRIL, 2026

By Solomon Uwumbolibe Mensah

HIDDEN STRENGTH IN SECRET PLACES

Scripture: Judges 6:11

“The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

The story of Gideon begins in an unusual and humble setting; a winepress, a place of hiding and fear. Israel was under severe oppression from the Midianites, who constantly destroyed their harvest and left them in poverty. In this moment of desperation, Gideon was threshing wheat in secret just to preserve what little he had. Yet, it is precisely in this hidden and fearful place that God chose to appear to him, showing us that divine encounters are not limited to places of strength, but often happen in seasons of weakness.

God Meets You Where You Are: Gideon was not in a place of confidence or victory; he was in hiding, working in fear and uncertainty. Still, the Angel of the Lord came and sat with him there. This reveals a powerful truth that God does not wait for us to have everything together before He visits us. He meets us in our brokenness, in our confusion, and even in our fear. The presence of God is not reserved for perfect conditions; it is often revealed in the midst of imperfect circumstances, reminding us that no place is too low or too hidden for God to reach us.

Your Situation Does Not Define Your Identity: Although Gideon saw himself as weak and insignificant, God saw him differently. While he was hiding in fear, heaven already declared him a mighty man of valor. This shows that our current condition does not determine our true identity. What we see as limitation, God sees as potential. What we call weakness, God calls strength waiting to be revealed. When God speaks over your life, He speaks based on your purpose, not your present struggle, and His perspective is always greater than your reality.

God Uses Unlikely Places for Preparation: The winepress was not meant for threshing wheat, yet it became Gideon’s place of preparation. What seemed like an inconvenient and uncomfortable situation was actually shaping him for his future assignment. In the same way, God often uses unlikely and difficult seasons to prepare us for greater things. The hidden places, the struggles, and the quiet seasons are not wasted; they are training grounds where God builds character, resilience, and faith before bringing us into public purpose.

Oppression Cannot Cancel God’s Calling: Despite the oppression of the Midianites, God’s plan for Gideon and for Israel remained intact. The enemy’s pressure did not erase God’s promise; instead, it created the context for a greater deliverance. This teaches us that no matter how intense the opposition may be, it cannot cancel what God has ordained. Your background, your challenges, and your delays do not have the final say; God’s calling does. When God decides to lift you, no force can ultimately hold you back.

Divine Encounters Change Everything: The angel did not simply appear and leave; he sat down, showing that this was a deliberate and meaningful encounter. That moment in the winepress became a turning point in Gideon’s life, transforming his fear into faith and his hesitation into courage. One genuine encounter with God has the power to shift everything in a person’s life. It can redefine identity, restore confidence, and release purpose. This reminds us to value and seek God’s presence, even in the quiet and hidden moments, because those encounters carry the power to change our entire story.

Gideon’s experience teaches us that God meets us in unlikely places, sees greatness beyond our current condition, and uses hidden seasons for divine preparation. What looks like a place of fear can become a place of transformation. Your winepress is not the end of your story; it is the place where God begins to reveal who you truly are and what you are called to become.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank You for meeting us where we are. In our fear, in our struggles, and in our hidden places, You still come. Lord, help us to see ourselves the way You see us. Turn our fear into faith, our weakness into strength, and our hiding into purpose.

Raise us, like Gideon, to fulfill Your calling upon our lives. Let every winepress become a place of encounter and transformation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.