"....there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink.....why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" Exodus 17
I'll be honest, when I read about the Israelites blaming Moses at different times throughout their journey I find myself mentally saying, "Hello, Israelites...did you forget it was God who led you out of Egypt, not Moses?! It was God who led you to a place with no water. Stop blaming Moses! If you have a problem take it up with God Almighty! And, don't forget, He always does what is best!"
But the Lord convicted my heart that I have, many times, been just as guilty as the Israelites. I momentarily forget that everything that comes to me has come through the hands of God first. I forget that "all things are His servants"(Psalm 119:91) and that even my afflictions are given to me because of God's faithfulness to me.
I look at the person(s) through which that affliction or trial has come and I grumble and complain. I take off my eternal glasses and see the situation only through eyes of flesh and sin. And, instead of resting, trusting, and yes, even rejoicing in what God is doing, I am pointing the finger at someone else and feeling justified in having a complaining spirit. I forget that that person or situation is in my life FOR MY GOOD, and for my sanctification so that God might receive the glory and honor that is due Him!
And those are the times I start preaching to myself the same thing that I tell my kids every time they start to complain. "When you complain, what you are really doing is saying to God, "I don't like what You are doing!" And, is that really what you want to say to God?"
It's the perspective we all need and it's the perspective we must fight for every time we find a complaint rising in our hearts!
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