NOVEMBER 8: “THANK GOD RATHER THAN COMPLAIN”

Rather than being always grateful and thankful to God for His mercies and love, a lot of us have turned complaining to a regular and habitual thing. When there is no rain, people complain of too much heat, when the rains come, people complain of too much rain, that it disturbs their market and so on. Many people take the art of complaining as normal. If you tell them that you do not have anything to complain about, they do as much as suggest things for you to complain about. Yes, such people may at times count their blessings but they then complain that there are not enough of them.

In our passage of today, we read that the people of Israel had become a nation of complainers. They turned up their noses at God’s provisions; they despised His healing virtues and the victories that He had wrought on their behalf. They rebelled against Moses and spoke against God. To despise God’s blessing is to despise God. That was why God decided to punish them for their ingratitude.

Someone likened the case of the Israelites to the case of an old man that went to a post office. He could not write a word so he approached a young man and asked, “sir would you please address this envelope and post card for me? The young man gladly did so. He further offered to write a short note for the old man. After this he asked the old man if there was anything else he could do for him. The old man thought a moment and handed back the note to the young man and said, “yes, at the end of this note could you add, ‘please excuse the sloppy and ugly hand writing’.” Imagine that coming from a man who could not write and who has been assisted by the young man to write. This was usually the Israelite attitude and indeed our attitude towards God for His mercies and love towards.

God does not take our complaining lightly. Such words despise His grace. It is far better to stop and count our blessings, to think about them and thank God for them. Then in addition to all He has given us, He will give us a grateful heart for thanksgiving.

PRAYER: Father, please give me a grateful heart. Let me always thank you for your grace and mercies, Amen.