Gideon is the patron saint of those who feel incapable. He was doing the wrong job (wheat) in the wrong place (winepress) with the wrong attitude (fear). Gideon's "gap" was filled with bitter questions: "If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?".
The Scenario
God's silence allowed enemies to steal Israel's harvest year after year. The nation was starving and demoralized. Gideon represented the national feeling: God has abandoned us.
The Investigation
God did not answer Gideon's question ("why?"), He answered Gideon's identity.
- The Ironic Greeting: The angel calls a hidden man a "Mighty Warrior". God does not define you by your current fear, but by your future potential. God speaks to the Gideon who would tear down Baal's altar, not the Gideon trembling in the winepress.
- The Strength of Weakness: God reduced the army from 32,000 to 300. Why? To prove that the previous silence was not a lack of power, but preparation for exclusive glory.
The Conclusion
If you are in a winepress of shame or fear, God's silence is not rejection. He is waiting for you to stop looking at the size of the enemy (Midian) and start looking at who He says you are. Your strength does not come from who you are, but from Who is with you.