For the last week I have been reading about the way the Lord delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. The miracles that God did are amazing. Each time I read this account I am absolutely confounded by the hard-hearted stubbornness of the Pharaoh. He was more willing to see his entire nation suffer than release the Israelites.
The Lord sent ten disastrous events before Pharaoh agreed to their departure and then after they had been gone a couple days, he went after them with soldiers and chariots. The Lord placed a protective cloud between the Israelites and Egyptians. Moses was able to lead them to safety and the Egyptians drown.
It didn’t take more than a few days for the Israelites to start complaining. They had just experienced a miraculous deliverance and now they were disgruntled by the conditions they encountered in the desert and were very vocal about it. Are you kidding me? God just moved heaven and earth to take them out of bondage and all they could do was complain. I think what they meant to say was “thank you”.
“Humans have control over every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have controlled all these things. 8 But no one can control the tongue. It is wild and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness. 10 These praises and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen.” James 3:7-10 ERV
We would never do anything like this right? They complained about the water; they griped about being in the desert; they murmured because there was no bread or meat. Each time they complained Moses would pray, God would provide but they were never really grateful. At the least little inconvenience they would complain again.
“The people had complained and tested the Lord by asking, “Is the Lord really with us?” So Moses named that place Massah, which means “testing” and Meribah, which means “complaining.” Exodus 17:7 CEV
Ok. So let’s get personal. We can criticize the Israelites for their complaining but what about us? “Grocery prices are too high; Washington is all messed up; it’s too hot/too cold; if one thing breaks, watch out cuz there’ll be two or three more before its over.” As a friend of mine says some people will complain because their ice cream is cold! True enough.
We get so caught up in what’s happening in this very second that we forget the blessings and provisions of the Lord from yesterday or last week. Maybe we don’t use these words but our attitude can be very similar to the Israelites when they said, “Is the Lord really with us?”.
In yesterday’s teaching I asked you to choose joy. Did you? Were you able to find things to be happy about and grateful for or did you complain? The Israelites ended up wandering around in the desert for forty years because of their complaining. We should learn from them.
“Always be filled with joy in the Lord. I will say it again. Be filled with joy.” Philippians 4:4 ERV
It takes discipline but with the Lord’s help we can tame our tongue. We can control the words that come out of our mouths. When a complaint starts to rise, replace it with words of praise. Be thankful.
“Yes, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases him, and he gives you the power to do it.
14 Do everything without complaining or arguing 15 so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world,” Philippians 2:13-15 ERV