Stop Grumbling Through Your Trials
God brought Israel out of Egypt and then allowed them to experience hunger and thirst. God promised Israel a fertile land but chose a land populated by powerful enemies. The difficulties Israel faced were not the product of random chance. They were not adrift upon the waves of fate. God orchestrated every experience and every circumstance along their wilderness wanderings, including the difficult ones.
Israel however did not respond well to trials. It seems that they answered every challenge with continual grumbling, discontentment and rebellion.
In their distress, they forgot (or refused to believe) that God is always in control. The Lord, through Moses, made it clear that their discontented grumbling and murmuring were nothing short of complaint against God himself.
Moses would later teach them a song which contained these words:
They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. Do you thus repay the Lord , you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you (Deuteronomy 32:5-6)
Is there a lesson here for God's church? Absolutely. Paul warned the Philippians that they must learn from Israel's negative example:
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, (Philippians 2:14-15)
A characteristic of the children of God, Paul says, is that they do not argue or complain. What a counter-cultural character!
It was not lost on Paul that such a character would be entirely foreign to the culture around the Philippians (and us). In fact, he was counting on it. He was calling the Philippians to stand out from the crowds and to be different. They were to be such a contrast to the culture that Paul compares that relationship to light and darkness. Their refusal to argue and complain would cause their reputation to shine.
In a world where quarrelling, debate and hatred seem to be the rule of the day, a patient, gentle, forgiving, and peacemaking character will stand out. It will be a welcome light to those who have grown weary of the darkness.
Is there an application for our current circumstances? Clearly. We must stop our grumbling and complaining about the difficult circumstances which God, in his providence, has brought into our lives. Even those that we can directly tie to the incompetence or evil of other people. Our continual grumbling and negative criticisms have dimmed the light which was meant to create a stark contrast between us and the culture around us.
What response, in the present circumstances, would set us apart distinctly as children of God? What behaviour would be so different from the prevailing attitudes that it could be said that our lives are like shining lights in the midst of darkness?
For starters, when we exercise the fruit of the Spirit we paint such a contrast:
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:19-24)
What can you do differently today in the area of grumbling and questioning? What can you do to restore your testimony as a light in the midst of darkness? What can you do to exercise the fruit of the Spirit?
In what ways might a Christian respond poorly to trials?
Some people are determined to blame every difficulty on Satan with a belief that God would not bring trouble into our lives. How would you answer this?
Can you think of a time when you responded poorly to trials in your life, only to later correct yourself? What shift did you have to make in your thinking?
What can you do, think, or feel in order to express to God that you accept from His sovereign hand the difficult circumstances that He has orchestrated for your good?
