Several years ago (2009), Louis C.K. was on Conan O’Brien’s late-night talk show, where he described today’s entitlement culture. He said in our culture, “Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy.” Take a look (show Louis CK video).
Louis talks about how he was on a plane that offered in-flight Wi-Fi access to the Internet, one of the first planes to do so. But when it broke down in a few minutes, the man sitting next to him swore in disgust. Louis was amazed, and said to O'Brien, “How quickly the world owes him something that he didn't know existed 10 seconds ago.”
Louis then talked about how many of us describe less-than-perfect airline flights as if they were experiences from a horror film: “It was the worst day of my life. First of all, we didn't board for 20 minutes! And then we get on the plane and they made us sit there on the runway for 40 minutes!”
Then he said mockingly, “Oh really? Did you fly through the air incredibly, like a bird? Did you partake in the miracle of human flight? … Everybody on every plane should be going, ‘O … wow!’ … You're sitting in a chair in the sky!” And then he mocks a passenger who, trying to push his seat back, complains, “It doesn't go back a lot!” (Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqkZ1sBDJhg)
It’s easy to complain even in the good times, but what does that get you? Well, let’s see what complaining got the nation of Israel after God miraculously delivered them through the Red Sea. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Exodus 15, Exodus 15, where Israel teaches us an important lesson in good times and bad.
Exodus 15:22-24 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah [which means bitterness]. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (ESV)
The bitterness of the water reflected the bitterness in their hearts. They had gone three days without water. They’re about to drop when in the distance they see an oasis. Their parched lips and dry throats can already taste the cool, clear water, but when they finally arrive and bend down for a cool, refreshing drink, they come up spitting out salt water.
No wonder they grumbled, but how could they so quickly forget what God did for them just three days earlier?
Exodus 15:25a And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet (ESV).
They may have forgotten God, but God did not forget them. In His grace, He made the water drinkable. Then He gave them a test.
Exodus 15:25b-26 There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer” (ESV).
God promised to keep them from Egyptian diseases if they listen to Him.
Exodus 15:27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water (ESV).
God abundantly provides for His people!
Exodus 16:1-3 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (ESV).
There they go again—grumbling! They not only forgot how BAD Egypt was, but also how GOOD God had been to them. But even though they forgot God, God did not forget them.
Exodus 16:4-8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against the LORD. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 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” (ESV).
When God’s people grumble against God’s leaders, they grumble against God Himself.
Exodus 16:9-12 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ” And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God’” (ESV).
God wants to demonstrate His presence and His power in their midst despite their grumbling. Israel grumbles, and their grumbling keeps them from appreciating all that God has said or done for them. We see that in the verses that follow. Even though God provides food for them with strict instructions, some of them disregard those instructions.
Exodus 16:13-18 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it” [manna in the Hebrew]? For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’ ” And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat (ESV).
God provided everything they needed, no more, no less, no matter how much they were able to gather.
Exodus 16:19-20 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them (ESV).
They completely disregarded all that God told them to do. It’s like Moses’ instructions went in one ear and out the other.
Exodus 16:21-28 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’ ” So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? (ESV)
What God has said keeps going in one ear and out the other. It has no transforming effect on their behavior, even though God’s command is actually to their benefit.
Exodus 16:29-30 See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day (ESV).
The Sabbath rest was a real gift from God to a society forced to work seven days a week under Egypt’s control. Now, under God’s control, they get a whole day of rest every week! But Israel can’t appreciate it for all their grumbling. And that’s what happens when you grumble. You cannot appreciate all that God says and does for you if you’re complaining all the time. So whatever you do…
DON’T GRUMBLE.
Don’t murmur and complain. Don’t become critical and whine about your circumstances every time they don’t match up to your expectations.
Pastor John Beukema, of Western Springs, Illinois, talks about a spring afternoon when an older couple came to his church looking for a handout. They were ragged, dirty, and claiming to be homeless. They said they didn't want money, just some food.
So Pastor John took them across the street to the 7-Eleven. While they waited outside, John bought them each a sub sandwich, chips, and a Coke. Then he watched as they ravenously attacked the food. The man took a big gulp of his drink and made a face. From his seat on the pavement of the 7-Eleven he looked up at John and said, “What is this, diet?”
Pastor John says, “I laughed right out loud because I immediately saw myself. How often I react that way, even to the gifts of God” John Beukema, Western Springs, Illinois; www.PreachingToday.com)
When you’re grumbling, you fail to appreciate even the good gifts you have from God.
Don Kistler put it this way: “The person with the discontented heart has the attitude that everything he does for God is too much, and everything God does for him is too little” (Don Kistler, Tabletalk, 9-18-01, p.15; www.PreachingToday.com)
What is your attitude today?
On May 25, 1979, Denis Waitley was desperately trying to catch a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles. When he arrived at his gate, they had just closed the jetway. Denis begged them to let him on that airplane. No luck! Out of breath and out of patience, he made his way to the ticket counter to register a complaint and rebook his travel. While he was waiting in line, an announcement came over the airport intercom. AA Flight 191 to Los Angeles had crashed upon takeoff.
The engine on the left wing of that DC-10 sepa¬rated from the airplane right after takeoff. The unbalanced aerodynam¬ics caused the plane to roll, a roll from which it could not recover. All 271 people on board died in the crash. It was the deadliest aviation accident in United States history.
That near-death experience had a life-altering impact on Denis Waitley. Had he been on time, it would have been the last day of his life. Needless to say, he never registered his complaint. In fact, he never re¬turned his ticket for Flight 191. He took his paper ticket and put it in a visible place in his office. On difficult days, the days when he felt like throwing in the towel, all it took was one glance at that ticket to regain perspective. That ticket was a constant reminder that every day is a gift (Mark Batterson, Win the Day: 7 Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less & Accomplish More, p.199, Multnomah, 2020l; www.PreachingTodaty.com).
Who knows how many times God has spared you from certain disaster without you ever knowing it. So please, see every day as a gift from God. And don’t be like the people Thoro Harris described in an old song.
In country town or city some people may be found
Who spend their lives in grumbling at everything around.
Oh, yes, they always grumble, no matter what we say,
For these are chronic grumblers and they grumble night and day
They grumble in the city, they grumble on the farm,
They grumble at their neighbors; they think it is no harm.
They grumble at their husbands, they grumble at their wives,
They grumble at their children; but the grumbler never thrives.
They grumble when it’s raining, they grumble when it’s dry.
And if the crops are failing, they grumble and they sigh.
They grumble at low prices and grumble when they’re high;
They grumble all the year ‘round and they grumble till they die.
They grumble at the preacher, they grumble at his prayer,
They grumble at his preaching, they grumble everywhere.
They grumble at God’s people and say it’s all display,
But holy folks don’t grumble; they have only time to pray.
Oh, they grumble on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Grumble on Thursday too;
Grumble on Friday, Saturday, Sunday;
Grumble the whole week through (Thoro Harris). You know…
These people must be the most miserable people on the planet. But let me tell you. There is a better way to live! When life gets hard, don’t grumble…
GROW!
Trust God to prove and improve you during the hardship. Depend on the Lord to make you better and draw you closer to Him.
That’s what God wanted to do for the Israelites. When they came to the bitter water at Marah, Exodus 15:25 says, “There [God] tested them.” Then again, when God sent bread from heaven, in Exodus 16:4, He says, “I [will] test them…” It’s not that God had to find out what was in their hearts; He knew already. He just wanted to show them what was in their own hearts so He could help them grow.
Later on, when God descended on Mount Sinai in fire and smoke, the Israelites “were afraid and trembled” (Exodus 20:18). That’s when “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin’” (Exodus 20:20).
You see, God’s tests are designed to keep you from sinning and to improve your character. In Deuteronomy 8, when Moses reminds the next generation of Israelites about what God did for their parents, He says in verse 16, [God] fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end (Deuteronomy 8:16). God tested the Israelites for their own good, to make them better in the end!
But instead of trusting the Lord in the test, they tested the One who was testing them. They grumbled, and their grumbling turned to quarreling.
Exodus 17:1-2 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” (ESV)
They were “quarreling” with Moses. It’s a strong word in the original Hebrew, actually used to describe a fist fight in Exodus 21:18. Now, I doubt that they were punching Moses in the face with their fists, but they were punching him with their words.
Exodus 17:3-7 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the LORD said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah [i.e., testing and quarreling] because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” (ESV)
By their quarreling, the Israelites were testing the Lord. God was testing them to make them better, but they were testing God, because they didn’t believe in Him. They doubted His presence. Even so, God in His grace responded by giving them water out of the rock.
My dear friends, when God tests you, don’t do what the Israelites did. Don’t test the Tester. Instead, trust the Lord in the test to make you a better person. Depend on God to remove your sin and make you more like Christ in the midst of your trial.
Romans 8 says, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…” (Romans 8:28-29).
And James 1 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).
God designs the tests of your lives to make you a better person, to make you mature and complete, like Jesus Christ, His Son! So don’t grumble in your trial; GROW! Grow by trusting God to do His work in you while you’re going through the trial. And even if you have grumbled a bit already, trust in His grace to provide the cool, clear, refreshing water that your soul needs to make it through the wilderness.
Do you know, the New Testament says this rock, from which the water came, is a picture of Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4)? God in His grace has provided His Son to anyone who believes in Him. Jesus was struck on the cross, but from that beating has come rivers of Living Water to anyone who chooses to drink.
How about you? Will you choose to continue to drink the bitter waters of Marah, reflecting the bitterness in your own heart? Or will you choose to drink the cool, clear, refreshing water that only Jesus can provide even in your wilderness experiences?
I urge you. Don’t be bitter in your trial; get better by trusting the One who died for you and rose again. Don’t grumble; grow! Grow by believing that God is right there with you in your trial, and that He will bring good out of that trial in the end.
In a beehive, the queen bee has an interesting way of ensuring the healthy development of her offspring. She lays each egg in a six-sided cell with just enough honey to feed the young bee until it reaches a certain stage of maturity. After she lays her egg, she seals the top of that cell with a capsule of wax. Then, at just the right time, when all the honey is gone, the tiny bee is ready to come out.
But it’s not going to have an easy time. The opening in the wax seal is so narrow, that in the agony of its exit, the little bee rubs off the membrane that encases its wings. Yet, because of that struggle, it is able to fly!
One time a moth got into the hive and devoured the wax capsules. The young bees crawled out without any effort or trouble, but they could not fly. The mature bees, seeing the pitiful, unproductive state of the new arrivals, instinctively proceeded to sting them to death.
God knows you need the struggle to grow. God knows you need the agony to help you get rid of those attitudes that keep you from flying. God knows you need the trial to make you fully useful for His service.
So when life gets hard, don’t grumble; grow! Don’t test the Tester; trust Him to bring you through the test a better person.
Driving through Mineral Wells, Texas, one afternoon in 1994, Jim Rhodes noticed many buildings standing vacant due to the shutdown of a local military base. “I always complain to God about things that bother me,” says Rhodes, “so I asked him, ‘Why aren't these buildings being used to help the homeless?’”
A few days later, an announcement appeared in the paper: one of the base buildings was available to any charitable organization that could put it to good use. More to appease his conscience than to make a serious inquiry, Rhodes sent a letter to city officials, suggesting his idea. The answer he wasn't prepared for came back: “It's yours.”
Decades earlier another complaint to God about abandoned children led him and his wife, Melinda, to adopt eight “special needs” children and be foster parents to hundreds more over the years. Soon Rhodes found himself also helping pregnant and battered women, which grew into New Haven Ministries in 1986.
“The next step was to begin helping homeless families,” Rhodes says. After a chain of miracles, including more than 5,000 volunteer hours from plumbers, electricians, and painters who renovated the facility in Mineral Wells, New Haven Family Center opened its doors in September 1995.
Since then, the center has helped many families get back on their feet. Families live at the center two or three months while they find employment. The center provides clothes, food, GED, and computer classes. “This is a totally Christian, totally donated, non-government funded ministry,” says Rhodes. “Most of these folks just need a hand up instead of a hand out.”
What's next for Rhodes? “Only God knows,” he chuckles, “but I'm sure he'll let me know the next time I start complaining.” (Tara Tremaine, “Ordinary Heroes,” Christian Reader; www.PreachingToday.com)
What is God trying to teach you in YOUR trial? Please, just listen without complaining, and discover what God can do through you.
