Grumbling Believers

Believers these days want their prayers to be answered instantly; a delayed answer is something no one wants to wait for. Moreover everyone wants The Lord to fit into their scheme of things rather than waiting for The Lord to reveal His divine plan and purpose. When things do not fall into their plan they immediately grumble. Grumbling is such a cruel nature which takes away all the blessings that The Lord has in store for every believer.

Israelites saw all the miracles that The Lord Almighty did to bring them out of slavery. They experienced the mighty hand of The Lord each and every moment but they were not ready to believe or trust in Him (How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? – Numbers 14:11) when situation demanded. It was because of this grumbling nature of theirs (All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! – Numbers 14:2), they were made to wander in the wilderness for 40 long years (For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you. – Numbers 14:34) and not one from that generation that left Egypt entered the Promised Land except Joshua and Caleb(In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. – Numbers 14:29, 30). They were the two who trusted The Lord Almighty and believed that the hand of The Lord will help them overcome their enemies no matter how strong they are.

The Bible says very clearly in Isaiah 43:2 - When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Unless you are not ready to pass through the waters how will you ever know His presence when you pass through the waters? There is no point in grumbling on the shores. If you keep grumbling, without believing that He will be with you when you walk through the waters then you will never reach the other end, meaning you will never be able to inherit the promise that He has for you.

Take the life of Daniel he never grumbled when King Darius gave the decree that anyone who prayed to any other God or man other than the King must be put in the lion’s den. Instead he continued praying 3 times a day as he was doing earlier (Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. – Daniel 6:10), he was put into the lion’s den but The Lord was there to his rescue He shut the mouths of the lion so that none of them harmed Daniel (My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me – Daniel 6:22).

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were put into the fiery furnace they didn’t grumble instead they boldly declared The Lord whom we serve is able to rescue us, but even if He does not we will never serve or worship the image of gold which you have set up (If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. – Daniel 3:17, 18). This angered the king and so the furnace was heated seven times more, and they were bound and put into the furnace but what a wonder The Lord was with them in the furnace and they were walking around in the fire unbound and unharmed (Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. – Daniel 3:25). The King was awestruck on seeing the fourth person walking around with them in the flames and so he ordered the three to come out of the blazing furnace, what a wonder even the smell of fire was not on them (Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here! So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them – Daniel 3:26, 27). How true is His promise, when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze – Isaiah 43:2.

Joseph never grumbled when he was thrown into the pit and later was sold as a slave to the Ishmaelites by his own brothers (So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekel of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. – Genesis 37:28). When Joseph was taken to Egypt Potiphar bought him from the Ishmaelites. Joseph found favour in his sight and so he put him in charge of his household and entrusted to him everything he owned, but Potiphar’s wife had a lustful eye on Joseph. Joseph was not ready to do any sin against God (No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? – Genesis 39:9).  One day when Joseph was attending his household duties she caught hold of his cloak, but he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. She fabricated a nice story with the cloak she had and so Potiphar out of anger put him in prison where the kings prisoners were confined (She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house. When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. Genesis 39:16 - 20). He did not grumble when put in the prison for a mistake he never did. The Word says The Lord was with him in the prison (while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden - Genesis 39:21). From the prison the Lord exalted him to the second highest position in Egypt where he was sold as a slave (So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. Genesis 41:14, So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”  Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” Genesis 41:41-44). Later he provided for his entire family during the famine and he never had any grudge or malice against his brothers who sold him as slave (But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:19, 20).

Jesus Christ the only Son of The Lord was made a curse (Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”  - Galatians 3:13) for each and every one of our sins, He did not grumble, instead He had his eyes fixed on the glory that He is going to receive (For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:2).

When the world can give you a few reasons to grumble just tell it back that The Lord has given you innumerable reasons to trust, thank and praise Him. The Promised Land was near to the Israelites they were almost at its door steps, yet because of their grumbling nature they wandered in the wilderness and died but never entered the land flowing with milk and honey.

Never grumble and find yourself in a situation where you are made to lament

VERY NEAR YET SO FAR!!!!!!!!