“The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.’” — Exodus 16:1-3 (NIV84)

I am convinced that the Lord does not mind our grumbling and complaining. Listen, we don’t always see the whole picture, and at times, what we are experiencing makes no sense. Just a cursory read of the Psalms would show us that God doesn’t mind hearing the complaints of His people. The book of Job would be another case in point. So, where’s the danger then? The danger is in allowing the grumbling to be so self-focused rather than Kingdom-focused, that it leads to lies and deceptions. Just read what the Israelites say in their grumbling. They make it sound like they are starving to death and that their life in Egypt was filled with good things. It is reality distortions like these that get dangerously close to raising the fury of God. God cannot stand lies!

The Israelites were not starving. They left Egypt with many herds of flocks. They were, in fact, simply beginning to calculate when they might run out of food in the desert if they were out there too long or someone didn’t supply another source. They chose to deny the providence of God. They got themselves all upset about something that wasn’t even a reality, and they went to Moses grumbling with faithless hearts and lies.

Are you going through a time you don’t understand? Let God know how you feel. Are you at your wit’s end? Be honest with God. He can handle your honesty. What He can’t and will not handle is our lies. Satan will work through our tough times and get us so overwhelmed with our own situation that we blow it out of proportion. And always we will end up blaming God. That’s how Satan works. Don’t give him the chance to mess things up. Be honest with God. Lay your heart out before Him. Trust me! I have done plenty of honest grumbling to God, and He has always faithfully met my need.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church