Complaining and Praying
Excerpted from “Praise God in the Storm” Encouraging Comforting 30-Day Devotional for Christian Women at https://a.co/d/emlELS5
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” (Philippians 2:14-15)
As Christians, it’s inevitable that we’ll go through trials just as our Lord and Savior promised and as He himself endured during His earthly life and death on our behalf. So when the inevitable trials occur, do we handle them by complaining, or by pouring our heart out to God in prayer?
Let’s look at what the Bible says about complaining. We know that complaining is a natural reaction to pain, and we see this in young children letting their moms know that they’re in pain. Complaining as a way of reaching out for help is different than the type of complaining that the Bible addresses.
Complaining, murmuring, and grumbling are the words most often used in the Bible to describe those who have an attitude of ingratitude or distrust in God’s reason for allowing the suffering.
The Israelites grumbling in the Exodus that they were better off in Egypt is an example of this type of complaining. They’d forgotten about God’s many blessings in literally rescuing them from abusive slavery.
They dismissed the fact that God saved their lives during the first Passover and led them through the Red Sea and away from their pursuers. They minimized God’s miraculous provision of water and food during their journey. Instead, they shockingly grumbled against Moses and Aaron: “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!” (Exodus 16:2-3a).
This type of complaining is probably an immature way of trying to gain God’s sympathy, so that He will rescue you. Yet, lashing out at God displays a lack of trust in Him. I love what Job said in the midst of his hardship:
“Thou He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).
What a statement of trusting God while enduring a crisis! You can pray for God to help you to trust Him more. It’s also imperative to study the Bible daily, to gain an understanding of God’s character and learn Who He is. After all, it’s difficult to trust God if you don’t know Him.
Our greatest example of grace during hardship is from our Lord and Savior Jesus, Who suffered greatly and died for our salvation. Yet, Jesus didn’t complain, grumble or lash out at His captors, nor did He pray for their destruction. Instead He prayed for our Heavenly Father to forgive them, because they didn’t know what they were doing (Luke 23:34).
As followers of Christ, we are called to live as He did:
“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; And while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 2:21-23).
There’s so much to unpack in that passage!
– Jesus suffered for us, leaving an example for us to follow in His steps.
– When He was reviled (which means insulted, criticized or slandered), Jesus didn’t revile them in return.
– While He suffered, Jesus didn’t utter any threats.
– Throughout His ordeal, Jesus trusted our Heavenly Father.
– Jesus didn’t complain, grumble, or murmur. Instead He trusted our Heavenly Father. It may seem impossible to reach this level of trust and grace, yet we can pray for Jesus to give us the strength and courage to do so.
Complaining can seem like a cathartic way of releasing our pent-up frustration, but in reality complaining doesn’t help.
We may believe, like the Israelites in the Exodus, that if we complain enough that someone will feel pity upon us and help us. Yet, how much more effective is it to pray for God’s wisdom on how to handle the situation?
Just to be clear, God wants us to pour out our heart to Him in prayer, which includes groaning about our aches, pains, and suffering. The Psalms are a perfect example of how David in the midst of his suffering was transparent with God, such as in Psalm 142:1-2:
“I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.”
David openly shared his complaints with God, yet it was always to ask for God’s help. The key is that David never directed his complaints against God’s will. In the storms, David always praised God.
Similarly, the weeping prophet Jeremiah spoke candidly to God about his grief and anguish over Jerusalem’s destruction. Yet Jeremiah never criticized God’s plans.
There’s also the prophet Habakkuk who brought his complaints before God, while simultaneously acknowledging God’s sovereignty. Habakkuk was struggling to understand why God allowed injustice to persist. Yet, Haakkuk’s complaints were about seeking answers, not in questioning God’s authority.
These Biblical examples show that it’s acceptable to bring our complaints before God, as long as we do so with trust and reverence for God. The Bible’s admonitions about complaining are about grumbling with bitterness, or questioning God’s wisdom.
Even in our darkest moments, we need to remember the promise of Romans 8:28:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
I pray that you trust in the Lord, dear sister, and that you trust that He’s working out your life for good – even when His plan doesn’t seem clear or like the plan that you would choose.
Reflection Questions:
1. What’s the main difference between David’s complaints in the Psalms, and the Israelites’ complaints in the wilderness?
2. Have you poured out your heart to God, including telling Him about your complaints, while simultaneously trusting and praising Him?
3. How does daily Bible study help us to trust God more?
4. Do you ever find it difficult to ask others for help? What are some ways to directly ask others for help, so that they know you really need assistance?
Excerpted from “Praise God in the Storm” Encouraging Comforting 30-Day Devotional for Christian Women who are enduring hardships: https://a.co/d/emlELS5