Grumble, Grumble.

If there was one place in the Bible where we could see what the spiritual journey was like, it was definitely in the book of Exodus. After the Israelite's miraculous exit out of Egypt, they are found to have been out in the wilderness for some time.

As we read through the book of Exodus, we see a recurring theme of the Israelite's complaining and grumbling about their circumstances, despite the miracles and provisions of God. They complain about their hunger and longing for the food they had in Egypt, despite the fact that God had just provided manna from heaven for them to eat. They complain about their thirst and lack of water, despite the fact that God had just provided water from a rock for them to drink.

But what can we learn from the Israelite's’ complaints? What we learn is that our own complaints are not caused by our outward circumstances; rather, they reveal the inward condition of our hearts. The Israelite's were not complaining about their outward circumstances; they were complaining about their lack of trust in God and His provision for them. They were focusing on their present difficulties rather than on God’s faithfulness and goodness.

In the same way, our own complaints reveal the true condition of our hearts. Do we complain about our job, our finances, our relationships, or our health? What these complaints do is that they reveal that we lack trust in God and His provision for us. We focus on our present difficulties, rather than on God’s faithfulness and goodness.

The Israelite's over exaggerated their situation, but in honesty, they always had enough. God had always provided. They grumbled about the good old days as they looked back and longed for Egypt, but yet they were never treated great because they were slaves. And yet again when we allow the sin of complaining and murmuring to rule our lives, we too can fall into the same trap of longing for the past, neglecting to see the blessings in the present and yearning to live in our past sin.

As Charles Spurgeon reminds us, “Grumbling is an evidence of great weakness and little faith.” He reminds us that complaining does not change our circumstances, but it does change our perspective and attitude towards them.

When we complain, what we do is that we make a statement of self-reliance. We are saying…