For seven years, God's people had been oppressed by a group of people called the Midianites. The oppression was so severe that God's people had been living in caves in the mountains in order to hide from their Midianite oppressors.

During this time there was a man named Gideon. Gideon belonged to God's people. One day Gideon was hiding in a hole in the ground, trying to gather some food. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon with this surprising greeting: "The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior." In that moment, there really wasn't anything about Gideon that qualified him to be described as a "valiant warrior" - he was hiding in a hole in the ground after all.

Gideon wastes no time questioning the statement from the Angel of the Lord; "If the Lord is with us, then why has all of this happened to us? Where are the miracles?" Gideon can't reconcile his difficult circumstances with the suggestion of the Angel that God was with him/them. His difficult circumstances caused him to doubt God's presence. Gideon concludes; "The Lord has abandoned us."

After hearing Gideon's complaint, the Angel of the Lord replies; "You do it. Go in your strength and rescue God's people. I'm sending you." All of a sudden Gideon is faced with a choice, to blame God or to obey Him. Gideon has just been complaining about his circumstances and now he has a divine mandate to change them. What does he do?

He makes excuses. "How!? My family is the least! I'm the youngest in my family!"
The Angel of the Lord is not entertaining these excuses, and uses Gideon's own words to challenge him; "Surely, I will be with you."

This is the turning point in the story of Gideon the Deliverer of God's People. Gideon lamented that God had abandoned them, but now he was being presented with an opportunity to improve their circumstances and a promise that God would be with them. Gideon was being given responsibility.

Gideon had made the mistake of thinking that his difficult circumstances were evidence that God had abandoned His people. In reality, it was the people that had abandoned God. The Angel of the Lord began this nation-wide restoration movement by calling one man back to trusting God. In order for Gideon's difficult circumstances to change he was going to have to respond to God, trust God and obey God. Making excuses would only prolong his difficult circumstances.

It is still common for us to draw the same conclusion that Gideon drew; if the circumstances seem unfavorable, perhaps God has abandoned me/us. But how would we respond if the Lord said to us; "You do it. In the power of the Holy Spirit, you bring deliverance."