Hopefully no one ignored this post because they thought they were not guilty of complaining against God! Or perhaps it just irks you too much to be reminded how the Israelites complained against the God who freed them from Egyptian slavery. But I really want us to meditate on this Scripture today, because I’m not convinced that we are any different to the Israelites.
DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-02-17
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL
BY: Ed Algreen
SCRIPTURE FROM: Exodus 16:6-8
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)
BIBLE TEXT: 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “By evening you will realize it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?” 8 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.”
APPLICATION: So often we complain about the heat outside, without thinking that we are really complaining to God about sending too many sun rays our way. Other days we whine and complain about the cold, without thinking that we are really complaining about God sending such misery on us without any good reason. Perhaps the meals at home were not as good as we expected, or the bed wasn’t made just right, so we complain about the woman we married, without considering that she is a daughter of the King, and God wanted to bless us beyond measure with the best He could give to us. What do we think He did wrong?? At church, we get upset because the sermon was too long and pointed at us instead of all the other sinners who needed it much worse than us! Furthermore, where are the elders? Don’t they ever do anything worthwhile for the church? Friends, God went to great lengths to provide just the right pastor, and only those elders who He felt were worthy to manage the affairs of His ministry, so why again are we complaining to God about what He did?? I believe that by now you may have been reminded about how similar you are to the Israelites. We normally think that we are making the Pastor, Elders and household members accountable, and we really don’t want them to treat others without care and concern, after all you helped to approve the church budget and want the leaders to be accountable for their actions. Friends, I am reminded that God is not only our Provider of all things, but He also answers our prayers when we petition Him for the leaders we need. When we complain, we are really telling Him that He messed up and is still uncommitted to caring for our needs through them. Let us learn to be a thankful people, consistently praising God for all His goodness and for how carefully He watches over us and cares for us. Just because God decides to handle things differently to what we expect, doesn’t mean that He’s wrong or uncaring about us. God is in control of everything in heaven and on earth. We are blessed to be recipients of His blessings, so let’s accept His goodness, His ways, His direction and His constant love.
BLESSING(S) NOTED: We serve such a forgiving and loving God that He hears our cry for forgiveness even if we find ourselves as guilty as the Israelites in complaining.
PRAYER: Ashamedly I must acknowledge that I have been guilty of complaining about things that could ultimately be attributed to the works of my Master. Please forgive me Lord and give me the strength to overcome such a degrading practice in the future. Please Lord, help my readers, listeners and myself always seek to honor You in every aspect of life. You placed us here to make a difference so that the world might see You more clearly and come to accept You as Lord. May we look, sound and represent You more fully every day, and may we live a life of love, forgiveness and thankfulness for all that You bountifully provide for us. AMEN!