Grumbling

"Then Moses added,

'The LORD will give you meat to eat in the evening

and bread to satisfy you in the morning,

for he has heard all your complaints against him.

What have we done?

Yes, your complaints are against the LORD

not against us.'"

Exodus 16:8 NLT

I didn't like the new schedule at church.  In order to try to maximize use of resources such as space and volunteers, and to carve out a time of fellowship during the Sunday morning program, the elders and deacons came up with a plan.  They decided it would be best to split up the Sunday school classes, holding some during the first service and others during the second.  Consequently, our family could no longer worship together since our classes were at different times.

Another downfall of this new timetable for our family was that we had to arrive at church an hour earlier than normal.  While we wanted to support what the leadership was doing, we spent quite a bit of time at home grumbling about the whole situation.  Finally, God convicted me one day that we needed to submit to the guidance of our congregation's leaders. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

As a result, we shelved our plan to go to the diaconate with our grievances and instead threw ourselves wholeheartedly into the new arrangement.  After about 2 months, the leaders decided to return to a more traditional timetable, determining that attendance was down since beginning the new schedule.  Newly humbled, we could see how God worked it all out in His time and we learned a good lesson about how to follow in a way that glorifies God.

It is sobering to realize that when I complain about what my leaders do, I am really grumbling against the LORD.

God's Sovereignty

I don't agree with most of his beliefs, world view or agenda.  I didn't vote for him and believe his programs are bad for our country.  It is hard for me to have respect for him as a leader.  Still, God has called me to submit to his authority. (Romans 13:1)

Why would God want me to yield to someone who seems to work against Him?  I believe it has more to do with respecting God's sovereign plan than it does with politics.  While this leader may not make godly decisions, God has a purpose for placing him in this position of power.  While I may not understand what God is doing, I can trust Him fully as Sovereign God. (Proverbs 3:5-6) While it may pain me to see the direction in which this country is headed, I can rest in the truth of God's promise to never forsake me. (Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:20)

Therefore, I can obey God in His desire for me to live in submission to those in authority over me because in so doing, I am bowing to His sovereign power over the world He created.  In other words, I can only submit because I trust God not necessarily that I trust the man He placed in a leadership position.  Recognizing God's sovereignty is crucial to my understanding of how much higher His ways are from my ways.  (Isaiah 55:9)

If I want to keep from grumbling against the LORD, it is important that I understand that God is never out of control of any situation.

God's Plan

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28 NLT)  I have heard this verse quoted many times by people who are going through something hard, or by someone who is trying to encourage another.  It seems to me we tend to focus on the "bringing about good" part but fail to recognize the "according to his purpose" portion of the well-known verse. 

I have my own idea of good.  When I think of what good God will bring out of a situation, I tend to focus on what will make me comfortable, happy or pleased.  It is natural for me to define "good" through my own selfish point-of-view.  I assume the good will be something that benefits me, or satisfies me, or brings me pleasure.  In other words, I like to think God's plan is the same as my plan for my life.

Unfortunately, I could not be further from the truth.  As I earlier stated, God's ways are much higher than my ways.  As a result, He has a plan that would blow my mind if I could see it in it's entirety.  If God revealed His purposes for my life, I'd probably want to give up right now.  When He takes me through a time of suffering, my natural tendency is to desire nothing more than to have my pain eased if not fully removed.  God, however, may be using this time to purify me, conforming me more into the likeness of His Son.

While it's easy for me to complain about a situation, especially if it seems the hard times were brought about by the failings of man, I must remember that God has a purpose for everything that He allows into my life.  While that objective may not seem pleasant or relevant to me, I can trust God to protect me from harm and bring about the kind of good that will bring glory to His name.

If I want to keep from grumbling against the LORD, it is important that I understand God has a plan of which I know nothing.

God's Lessons

I spent much time encouraging the hurting woman.  She responded positively to my efforts, confirming my purpose for sending the daily text messages as she went through the darkest days of her life.  After a few weeks, I sensed the Holy Spirit's nudge.  I gained the impression that she was no longer receiving the messages in the same way as before.  Still, I persisted in doing my daily duty.

Soon I received a message back that said, "I appreciate what you've been doing for me, but it's getting to be a little too much right now.  Please stop texting."  It was as if I had been pierced through the heart.  The very thing I had been trying to avoid, making her life more difficult, is what I had actually been doing.  I grieved over the extra pressure I had unknowingly been causing.  I say unknowingly, but in reality, God had tried to warn me.  Unfortunately, I did not heed His caution.

I learned a valuable lesson that day: It is vital that I heed the leading of God's Spirit.  Failing to do so can cause undo harm and increase suffering.  The kind teaching that God gives us is not book learning, but more like on-the-job-training.  His lessons are found in the every-day happenings that sometimes seem so ordinary.  If I'm paying attention, however, I'll learn much from what He allows into my life.

Therefore, when I feel like a fool as I lay with my face in the dirt, fresh from a humiliating headlong fall, I can use the opportunity to learn how to get back up again.  Other times I may think the decision of a leader is foolish as I bear the brunt of his decision, but I can use the resulting time of misery to learn how to submit even when I don't agree.  Then there are the chances God gives me to learn a lesson of compassion as I witness the suffering born by those affected by the decisions of others.  Instead of railing against the powers-that-be I can turn my attention toward caring for those who are hurting.

If I want to keep from grumbling against the LORD, it is important that I look for the lessons He is probably trying to teach me.

It is easy to get into the habit of complaining.  After all, there is a lot to feel discouraged about in this world!  God, however, wants me to know that when I whine about what those in positions of authority are doing, I am actually rising up against Him.  As a result, I would be wise to recognize God's sovereignty, His plan and the lessons He places in the midst of life.  Then, I will be less likely to grumble against Him.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can submit to God's sovereign plan.

When do I mindlessly complain, not even thinking that God has a plan through my present situation?

How am I oblivious to the lessons He is trying to teach me today?