Shark Tank, American Dream, and God’s Plan for Gideon

Have you ever watched the show Shark Tank?

The first time I heard of the show I thought it was really about the ‘intriguing but not so enviable venture’ of swimming with sharks. Attractive. Entertaining. But not personally likely to attempt.

And from my seat in front of the TV that’s exactly what it was not. However, it was entrepreneurs swimming in the sea of investment sharks hoping to strike a deal with a heralded millionaire willing to take their product to the next level. Sharks with a proven track record of making investments in young startups looking to pad their pockets while making these entrepreneurial lads experience the taste of a successful business venture.

You can often hear these sharks brag on entrepreneurs for embracing the ‘American Dream.’ Starting with little to nothing more than a dream of accomplishing something that’s bigger than themselves. And the freedom to run in any direction to accomplish whatever their heart desires.

The ‘American Dream’ is certainly admirable. The rags to riches stories. The hustle. The grind. A run of good luck. Taking the leap of faith. The success of a few risky decisions.

But what if there’s something better than the ‘American Dream?” What if God’s dream could lead to greater success? Could lead to a happier, more fulfilling life?

I recently posted about Gideon and the Cellar of Awakened Dreams. The crux of the message was about finding our identity and calling in something far greater than some cellar of fear or frustration.

And here I’d like to share a follow up and continuation of that story for how we see God’s plan unfold when we embrace the ‘dream’ that has far reaching rewards beyond anything our little finite minds for success and fame could ever imagine.

To recap, Gideon was threshing wheat in the valley where the winepress was located when he was approached by an angel. The angel’s message inspired him to request a sign from God that he was really being called to deliver the people from bondage among the Midianites. Upon completion of the signs with the fleece he acquired a following of people that dwindled from 32,000 to 300 before eventually leading the people to victory and freedom.

So how do the details of this story play themselves out in the bigger story of God’s dream for His people?

A God-sized dream must be planted in our hearts by Him. People set goals all the time. Goals to lose weight, eat healthy, become financially free, write a book, go back to school, start a business, move up some corporate ladder, make a team, get a grade, leverage more time for family. And the list goes on. Certainly these are wonderful goals that will challenge and change our current lifestyles. But what effect will they have on us beyond this life? On the success of our eternal future?

Gideon was content to live in fear and the shadows of some cellar just minding his own business when the angel showed up. He was thrust into the middle of God’s story and invited to join this adventure. One of seeing a dream becoming a reality at the word of his Lord.

A God-sized dream must be more powerful than any reasonable attempt at success on my own. A goal regulated by my own strengths and weaknesses is not very big. I’ll always be limited by my weaknesses and find a low ceiling on the basis of my success. Talent, hard work, discipline, and commitment are necessary. But eventually I need something or Someone to step in and intercede in ways I can’t muster up myself.

For Gideon it began with the confidence boosting word of salutation, “the Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” He didn’t feel like a warrior in the cellar of dreaded defeat. But God’s plan for his life was cast across a wet fleece, men lapping water like dogs, and crushing jars while holding trumpets and torches.

The most unlikely of circumstances proved to be more powerful than anyone could have ever expected. And why did God do it this way? “I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.'” God knew that a worthy dream needed a providential twist of fate that could only be explained by the hand of God.

A God-sized dream must be centered on God’s purposes. To look different. To feel different. To gain credibility. Notoriety. Popularity. Those things can falter under the weight of fatigue and apathy. When our dreams are tied to others’ opinions of our performance or our own sense of satisfaction of some result we can watch our highly anticipated dreams dwindle to the dust of disappointment.

The goal of God’s dream for Gideon was not for Gideon’s fame or glory. It was for God’s. That’s why He dismantled the army to nearly nothing. That’s why He used broken jars and trumpets. To assure the rest of the world that Gideon had no right to call the victory his own.

I know this may sound narcissistic or arrogant. But remember God is for God. And His ways are far above our own. And the route of reconciliation doesn’t always take the path the human eye envisions. God’s dream for His people is reconciliation and worship.

When I read the story of Gideon I am amazed at the great lengths God is willing to take to use unlikely people in unlikely places to accomplish unlikely acts all for His own glory. And lest we think that these are only Bible characters from generations gone by, we must remember God is still alive and active in the lives His people even today. Leading people to accomplish His eternal purpose of heralding the worth of Jesus to all the world.

While our names will never be recorded in the Bible as we know it, there is a book where He is recording the names of those who have embraced His Son as their Savior. Who believe in God’s dream and vision for His people. Who are living by faith. Surrendering their dreams to His. Sacrificing their small scale view of life for something greater than themselves. Obedient to the call. Committed to the eternal mission of proclaiming God’s glory to the nations. This is God’s plan for His people!