I must confess that I have been behaving badly through this election cycle. Oh, come on, why do we minimize our sin? Both in the attitude of my heart and the words that flowed out of it I have sinned against the LORD God through grumbling and complaining during this election cycle. The election isn’t the only thing bearing down on me, its COVID too. And it’s my wife and I moving from our home in Wilson, NY to my sister’s home, then to an apartment in KY, and then finally to our new home in KY. It’s all the battles and trials wrapped up in the processes. Its dealing daily with the debilitating effects of Gulf War Illness. Its missing the grandchildren left behind in NY. Its… many more things.
While preaching though Psalm 3 Chris Parrish nailed it asking his hearers, “I wonder if you’ve ever just had a season where you felt overwhelmed? Where you felt like the hits just keep coming. When you felt like nothing else could go wrong and yet something else goes wrong and you just cry out to the LORD ‘This too! Your adding this on to all that I’m dealing with?’” That’s exactly where I’ve been, and my grumbling was revealing to me a heart in need of the gospel.
Grumbling and Complaining is Sin
This truth is plain and simple. The Bible commands that we do all things without grumbling (Phil 2:14), so violating that command is sin. Furthermore, we can observe the LORD God disciplining the Israelites for grumbling in the wilderness (Exodus 16, 1 Corinthians 10:10). What’s more the ramification of grumbling goes well beyond the mere violation of a command, it expresses our judgment against God.
You see, the Bible teaches us that the LORD God is good and does good (Psalm 119:68) and that he holds out his hand to give every creature its food in due season (Psalm 145:14-16). Grumbling about our circumstances expresses our judgment that God is not good in what he is giving to us, that his food is insufficient for our season. That’s not to say God doesn’t give us hard circumstances. He does. But only for our good!
God is Never Blind or Powerless
God Almighty is not blind, “For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps” (Job 34:21). Nor is he lacking in power, “For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps” (Psalm 135:5-6). Furthermore, he is always active, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him…” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
As we think about these God truths, that he is all powerful, all wise, always everywhere present, we need to always remember that God is at work for our good in all things and especially so in the hard things. Before the Psalmist writes “you are good and do good” he declares, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word” (Psalm 119:67-68). “There is no moment of suffering, there is no moment of sorrow, there is no ounce of loss that will come into [our] life outside of the providence and the hand of God” (Chris Parish, same sermon). The Lord has good goals for us in all our affliction.
The LORD’s Good Hand
When we face tough situations, circumstances that we would make different, pain, and suffering, we can ask God the ‘why’ questions (James 1:5). Thereafter we need to look to his Word for the answer. Are you facing something you don’t want today? Look to 1 Peter.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls
1 Peter 1:3–9
Various trials delivered by God have the goal of anchoring in us deep abiding faith that will never perish spoil or fade.
Now, you may want to ask me, “If you believe all that why were you complaining?” Because I lost sight of the way in which God’s great power is connected to his great love for me. I became focused on self rather than God. Rather than accepting Jesus on his terms I began to demand a god that did my bidding. God, however, is faithful and just to turn me back to himself from wherever I am. All my circumstances are surrounded by heavenly guard rails that he will never let me crash through. “Heavenly Guard Rails!” Hmmm, sounds like a great title for the next article…