I’m Hungry!

February 13

I’m Hungry!

A juice box or a Coke or a bottle of water rarely lasts very long when you are on a road trip with young children.  They tell you they are thirsty and that all they need is a drink.  But, it is not long after their thirst has been quenched that they begin telling you they are hungry.

The Israelite people were only three days into their journey towards a new found freedom, a new life, and a new place to live when they began to complain about being thirsty.  Traveling just seems to bring out our impatience as well as our discontentment. 

The Lord God miraculously provides more drinking water than they would ever need in that moment.  Finally, after resting and refreshing at an oasis named Elim, they set out on the journey towards their new life and the Promised Land.

It is only six weeks later, that their faith wains once again.  This time, the Israelite people complain that they are hungry.  We hear their complaint to Moses and the Lord God in the book of Exodus.  The people tell Moses they would be better off as slaves back in Egypt than to be free and on a journey to some promised land.  Their complaint grows more pitiful when they argue that when they were slaves at least they had something to eat.

In Exodus 16:1-3 we hear; “The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim and came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.  The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.  The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’”

Their whining and grumbling and complaining begin to wear thin on Moses.  First, the Israelites complained they were thirsty  Then, the Israelites complain that they were hungry.  I am sure Moses was wondering, “When will these people stop complaining and just trust the Lord will provide?”

In Numbers 14:27 we hear Moses’ response; “How long shall this wicked congregation complain against me?  I have heard the complaints of the Israelites, which they complain against me.”

The Israelite people have a small faith in the Lord God and even less faith in the leadership of Moses.  Whenever things are not to their liking, they begin to complain…without stopping.  Moses wonders how much more he can take. 

Sometimes parents wonder the same thing when they travel with young children; ‘Will the kids ever stop complaining and just be happy?’

Complaining and criticizing quickly becomes a habit.  Our constant pessimism and lack of hope wear down those around us to the point they begin to back away.  Our complaining can easily drive friends and family and co-workers away from us.

Job had experienced the loss of his family business, his home, and his children in just a few days.  His first response is to complain to anyone who will listen as well as to complain to the Lord God.  However, it is not long until Job realizes that complaining about everything and everyone does not accomplish anything. 

In Job 9:27 we hear; “If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint; I will put off my sad countenance and be of good cheer…’”  Job chooses to stop complaining so that he can know “good cheer.”  Job sees that constant complaining is the enemy of peace and joy and love in one’s life.

The fuel for complaining is most often an unwillingness to forgive our self, another person, and even the Lord God.  I like the way the Apostle Paul says it in his letter to Colossae.  In Colossians 3:13 the Apostle Paul writes; “Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Again, the Lord God miraculously provides what the Israelite people need; something to eat each day!  You would think that would be the end of the moaning and groaning as well as the grumbling and complaining. 

Unfortunately, maintaining our faith in the Lord God’s presence in our lives, provision for our needs, and promise for our future often comes and goes.  It is easier to focus on our complaints about what is lacking or what is wrong or how we have been hurt than it is to focus on the presence and provision and promises of the Lord God.

It is not easy to forget the “reason” for all our complaining and criticizing.  It is also not easy to forgive myself, another person, or even God for the pain I have caused or the hurt I am experiencing.

The good news is when we turn our eyes to Jesus, our hearts, even in the midst of difficult circumstances, will be filled with joy in our faith and delight in the Lord.

I invite you to reflect upon your recurrent complaints and then ask, “Is my complaint more important than turning my eyes to Jesus?”  Think about it!  Pray about it!  Shift your perspective!  How can you break your habit of complaining and criticizing so you can know more peace and love and joy?

It may be time to shift from our child-like behavior in the back seat of the car to one in which we trust in the goodness and generosity of God.  

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug