One of my favourite sayings is, ‘God has a sense of humour’.  This is particularly evident, I think, in the people he chooses to do his work.

Gideon is a brilliant example.  Found in Judges 6, Gideon is perhaps best known for his demand for signs from God – wet fleece, dry fleece etc.
However, I think Gideon also tells us a lot about the type of people that God often uses. Most importantly: they are not necessarily the type of people we would choose. 
First, some background:
The Israelites had been rescued from Egypt by God via Moses.  They wondered round the desert for forty years and, led by Joshua, had finally arrived in the promised land.  Joshua then died and things started to go wrong.  The Israelites had decided that they knew better than God and had refused to obey his command to remove all the people living in the land.  As a result they started to get influenced by the locals, turned away from God and God had to punish them.
When we’re first introduced to Gideon, God has been using the Midianites – a ruthless tribe of raiders – to punish the Israelites for seven years.  In desperation the people cry out to God to save them.
Cue heavenly HR team to come up with ‘A Judge’ – i.e. someone who can lead the people back to God, rescue them from their enemies and generally be the Mr (or Mrs) ‘All-round-hero’. 
If it were me making the decision, I would probably be looking for three things from the potential candidate:
1.  courage – this is a tough job and not for the faint-hearted.  Previous army experience would be ideal.
2. natural leadership abilities – the candidate would need to raise an army at some point, so they would need to be a person that others would happily follow.  A pre-existing sphere of influence would also be an added bonus.
3. spiritual maturity – the candidate would be instigating a national revival.  They would therefore need to be sure of their own calling, and have complete confidence in God. 
I would have chosen a Jeremiah-type.

God chose Gideon.  An interesting choice.
1.  Courage

When we first see Gideon he is ‘… threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it form the Midianites’ (v.11).  Some would argue Gideon was being shrewd.  I would argue that he was being a coward.  He was essentially hiding (like most of the population c.f. v.2).
Later when Gideon finally accepts his first assignment from God to destroy his father’s alter to Baal (v.25) he does so at night.  Why?  ‘…because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople’ (v.27).  And to just in case we were in any doubt about his true feelings, he also takes with him 10 bodyguards for protection (v.27).
These were not the actions of someone naturally courageous.

2.  Leadership qualities

When the angel of the LORD announces Gideon’s commission to ‘save Israel out of Midian’s hand…’ (v.14) Gideon immediately starts to list reasons why he thins he is not the right man for the job.  First on his list is his background and status, ‘But Lord… how can I save Israel?  My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’ (v.15). 
Subtext: I am a nobody.  I am the lowest of the low.  No-one will listen to me, and no-one will follow me.  Humanly speaking I have no sphere of influence.  I am not a leader.
3.  Spiritual maturity

Most people, when greeted by an angel, are either frightened or in awe.  They do not start an argument  about God’s previous actions.  Gideon, however, is not most people.
No sooner had the angel greeted Gideon with a friendly, ‘The LORD is with you…’, than Gideon launches into a full scale tirade of his anger and spiritual doubts about God,
‘But sir, if the LORD is with us why has all this happened to us?  Where are all his wonders that our parents 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 in the hand of Midian.’ (v.13)
This is a man with serious spiritual doubts.  Even after a visit from an angel and a quick firework display (v.21), Gideon still needs two more signs before he is finally convinced that God wants to use him.
So why on earth did God choose Gideon? 
I think a clue might be in the way He first addresses Gideon.  He calls him ‘mighty warrior’ (v.12).  Clearly, as we have seen, this was not a description of Gideon’s current status (‘small-town farmer’ would have been more appropriate if that was the case). 
I think God was looking at the person Gideon would become.  He saw his potential and, excitingly, God gave Gideon the opportunity to fulfil his potential. 
And despite his doubts, arguments and failures, Gideon did accept his God-given assignment.  And I don’t think he regretted it for one moment.
One of my favourite verses is Isaiah 43:18-9,
            ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing…’

Often we let our past dictate our future.
We let the person we once were (or thought we were), prevent us from becoming the person we are meant to become.
God isn’t limited by your past.  He isn’t surprised by your character.  He isn’t deterred by your failures.
But he won’t work without your consent.
What new thing is God trying to do in your life?  And, more importantly, will you have the courage to let him?