One of the things that got the nation of Israel into a lot of trouble during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land was there frequent murmuring and complaining.
In Numbers 14:26-30, we read God’s punishment on the Israelites for their frequent murmuring and complaining, “And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ‘How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. ‘”
They hadn’t learned that God is in complete control of everything, and that God was working in them according to His perfect plan – and they complained when stuff didn’t happen as quickly as they wanted or according to their selfish desires. Sadly, they learned the hard way that God doesn’t like it when people grumble and complain.
In contrast, look at Paul and Silas who were beaten and imprisoned for preaching the Gospel, and their reaction, “The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…” Notice – they were PRAYING and SINGING praises to God. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content…” He knew that NOTHING happened to him that wasn’t part of God’s plan – and GOD IS IN COMPLETE CONTROL.
I like what William Law wrote back in the 1700’s, “Whoso murmurs at the course of the world murmurs at God that governs the course of the world. Whoso repines at seasons and weather and speaks impatiently of times and events repines and speaketh impatiently of God who is the sole Lord and Governor of times, seasons, and events.” I know we’re ALL guilty of complaining about the weather…but William Law is correct. When we gripe and complain about ANYTHING – we’re in essence saying that God doesn’t know what He’s doing.
Oh that we would learn the VALUABLE lesson of COMPLETELY TRUSTING GOD – IN EVERYTHING!