“And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?'” Exodus 15:24
December 1, 2022
It could be very embarrassing if the times of our grumbling were recorded for a wider audience. There were ten occasions where Israel tested the Lord with a complaining spirit. It had been only three days since Israel had seen God take care of a major water problem, namely, the parting of the Red Sea to deliver Israel from the pursuing chariots of the Egyptian army. Now another water problem. Two million people in the desert and three days without water. The lesson of the miracle at the Red Sea seemed to have alluded them. But let’s not be too quick to judge a grumbling attitude. How should I go about dealing with my own habit of complaining? First, we should examine our record. Do I complain a lot? About what? Second, stay alert to the circumstances which make me more liable to complain. When I am tired, hungry, disappointed? Third, learn to respond to circumstances and people in a faith-positive way. Take the problem to God. Is the cost of groceries ($10 for a dozen eggs) turning me into a chronic grumbler? Fourth, avoid gripe sessions and grippers. Fifth, the solution to a complaining spirit is not the removal of the test. Church hopping to find the perfect church is not a solution. Sixth, the answer to complaining is a tree (“Then he – Moses – cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree” 15:25). This is not a reference to the cross of Christ. But it is a useful illustration. God miraculously made their water source drinkably sweet. Jesus Christ died on a tree. Am I training myself to view life’s difficulties through the lens of Christ’s sacrificial love for me? This will sweeten many a trial.
H
“Lord, I need help with the bitter waters that come into my life. Sweeten my disposition with your never failing love.”