A complaining spirit often offends God. Why?
“We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onion and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” (Numbers 11:5-6)
Let us remember that this happened after God was able to successfully lead them out of Egypt, after all the miraculous signs performed through Moses, even after the parting of the sea!
How could these people forget what God has done for them? And how could they not remember how miserable they were in Egypt? All that they could think about at that moment was food, the kind of food they used to have. Have they already forgotten their slavery in the hands of the Pharaoh?
But are we any better then? Given the same situation, wouldn’t we be the same ones to complain?
What the Israelites experienced was CHANGE. No doubt they were in a bad situation. But even miserable situations could be seen as better and more comfortable than uncertainties of a new life God was leading them to.
It wasn’t easy adjusting to a new life. For them, it sometimes felt easier to be slaves again, free from all the uncertainties they’ve experienced since they left Egypt.
Such is the challenge of everyone seeking a change in life. Even if one knows something has to be done to find a better life, it isn’t easy to leave the old life behind. When little signs of discomfort or frustration comes into view, it is so easy to complain.
Complaining then is a sign of resistance to change. It is a sign of unwillingness to let go of the past and accept the better life God is giving you.
The thing about hope is that it’s a positive force that shines the most when it’s dark. When everything’s going well, we hardly notice it’s there. But when things go against us, when our dreams fade and when we see no immediate reprieve from our troubles, that’s when hope does its best work for us.
"Where Hope Can Be Found"
4 replies on “Why a Complaining Spirit Offends God”
So true! I am going through some changes at moment and I can say it is easy to complain and think about the past. Nevertheless, as I make the effort to thank God for bringing me this far and for the good things he has in store for me in the future, I feel peace in my heart knowing that He is in control and will never leave me or forsake me!
Thank you for the post! I really needed to read something like that!
if i may add my two cent’s worth:
after my separation and being financially problematic since i became single, and becoming a bread winner of the family (to my parents and newly born daughter), and having piles of debts to shoulder (my parents’ debts from other people, my own debts from my marriage, and giving birth), i also complained to GOD and even questioned why others who are not good are having a good life, and i was not. i felt very miserable. i kept crying. i felt so negative. i felt desperate. i felt depressed. i felt hurt. but there was this certain feeling deep inside me telling me not to give up…to still keep believing…to still hold on that God exists…He is alive, God listens, God will aide and provide, God suffice.
through reading books about God and self-help materials, through constant praying, asking, searching….
i am slowly realizing that this might be God’s way of reaching out to me. it is only through suffering, change, and tribulations that i recognize who GOD is. i do not think i would have this kind of connection with GOD if i were materially complete because i would be blinded by the comfort and convenience of ‘having’. it is through lacking (material things, love from the people i want love from (parents, husband, family, friends) that i was able to feel, and consequently ‘understand’, GOD’s love for me and you. it is through this sufferings that i am continuously going through did i ‘feel’ and consequently ‘understand’ the cross that JESUS CHRIST carried and which i am ‘FORTUNATE’ to carry with Him.
my tribulations, after all, are BLESSINGS in disguise. and i am thankful and can relate my situation to an oyster. an oyster (we/ us) has to undergo a hard time having irritating sand(problems) in it’s sensitive and too soft skin/ mantle but through time, and by going through the process (the way we handle problems/ change) of protecting itself and creating layers of nacre, the sand in its skin eventually cause the oyster to create pearls of different sizes, shapes, and colors, which are all naturally beautiful.
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