Where to Take Your Complaints

“They complained in their tents….”
Psalm 106:25a (GW)

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that seemed appropriate for our cultural climate. It read, “STOP GLOBAL WHINING!” I laughed out loud! It doesn’t matter if it’s the mainstream or social media, if you don’t have a complaint to express, you’re apparently not with it. Since when did negativity become so ‘in’ today? I’m afraid it’s even affected Christ followers. I’ve seen more than a few that looked like they had been baptized in vinegar. I call them “Sour Saints.” So much for the “joy of the Lord!” Such was the case for Israel in the wilderness. Instead of entering the promised land, they settled for the land of pouting and grumbling.  Psalm 106:25a (GW) says, “They complained in their tents….”  Have you ever done that?  It’s interesting to me that the Psalmist records that it was in their tents that they complained. One translation said, “they ‘murmured’” in their tents. That suggests to me that their complaints began under their breath. They were secretly complaining against Moses. They were pouting about their conditions and thought that as long as no one else knew and they kept it to themselves, it didn’t matter. But God looks at the heart. He sees our motives and knows our attitude. Have you ever secretly complained about something? Who hasn’t? So what should we do with our complaints? I love what the Psalmists tell us in Psalm 142:1-3 (TEV). He says, “I call to the LORD for help; I plead with Him. I bring Him all my complaints; I tell Him all my troubles. When I am ready to give up, He knows what I should do.”

News flash – God is big enough to handle our complaints. Just complaining won’t change anything. It only makes us bitter, resentful, sour saints. But when we take our complaint to God and tell Him all our troubles something miraculous happens. Our perspective begins to shift from how big our problems are to how big our God is!

So here’s a challenge for today. Stop complaining under your breath. Take your complaints to God. Express to Him how you really feel. Be gut-level, honest, and vulnerable. Confess those secret complaints and be open before God about your troubles. Cry out to Him for help. When you’re ready to give up, He knows what you should do. Before you know it, He will turn your mourning into joy! 

---

Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.

Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.