Grumble, Grumble, Grumble
Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 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
Some meetings I go to are productive and some just seem like a waste of time. Today I met with three other women enthused for a project that I am also enthused about. This was a productive meeting, time well spent.
At the end of the meeting we were talking about grumbling. It was a general discussion but something we could all relate to as we have been hearing some grumbling lately. I might even have to admit that I have been doing some grumbling as the Lord has me in a couple of sets of circumstances that aren’t all that comfortable. I like comfortable! Unfortunately, when we stay too comfortable we make very little change.
In the book of Exodus the Israelites were complaining to Moses and Aaron because they did not have enough food to eat. They wanted more and they wanted it now. They complained about why they were led out of Egypt if they were just going to die in the wilderness.
God promised to provide food to eat and Moses addressed the people in Exodus 16:8, ‘And Moses said, “When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him–what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD.”’
Each one of us chooses what or who to grumble about. We blame other people for putting us in uncomfortable situations and we grumble against them. Sometimes we grumble about the lack of money or other resources that we think would make our lives better – if not perfect. We grumble about leaders, we grumble about our peers, and we grumble about the people grumbling about us – anything but ourselves!
When we grumble like this are we being any different than the Israelites? Their stated complaints were against Moses and Aaron but Moses said that ultimately their complaints were against God. He is Sovereign over every set of circumstances in our lives. If we’re in it He has put us there or allowed us to get ourselves into them. So, if we’re grumbling, we’re grumbling about God, a sobering thought.
The decision we each have to make is how to stay in the situation for as long as the Lord wants us there – to grow our faith and understanding of HIM – and not grumble about others or the circumstances. If we rely on the Holy Spirit we can be steadfast in troubles and honor God with our lips. This should be especially true in the church. James tells us in James 5:9, “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”
A very wise woman once advised me that if someone was complaining about me to thank them and go to the Lord. Ask Him to show me if what they had to say was true. If what they said was true, she advised I go back and tell them so and thank them for pointing out the problem (sin). If the Lord showed me I was not in the wrong she advised I let it go.
For the grumbler this is Biblical. It follows the Matthew 18 model of how to deal with a complaint against a sister or brother in the Lord. It keeps us from grumbling about others to those who can do nothing to correct the problem, often called gossip.
For the “offender” or alleged offender it brings the problem to a quick halt if they are willing to ask God to show them truth. If they ignore the issue and go on doing something offensive, then the problem can be further addressed by following Matthew 18:16-17.
If our grumbling is about things we can’t confront in a person then we are clearly grumbling about God. The only way to fix that is to repent and call on the Lord for help.
There would be considerably less grumbling if we would always follow the Biblical model of handling problems. I’m afraid until we do there will be plenty of grumbling – even in the church!