Got a Complaint - Take it to God!

I have a question for you. Do you ever find yourself complaining about things? The food you just ordered doesn't taste good; your kids don't clean up their rooms like you would like; your husband totally overlooks the clean house you spent all day slaving over. The list could go on and on. You get what I mean. So do you complain in an effort to feel better? Does complaining, in fact, even make a difference? Does it produce significant and lasting results or does it only give you a temporary quick relief of built-up frustrations that you will only regret later?

When we are discontented in our hearts our mouths often give us away. It all starts in the mind, and when allowed to fester will quickly sink into our hearts. Eventually what is in our hearts comes out of our mouths. All to often it is unkind and unloving. That is why it is so crucial to immediately take captive negative thoughts and give them to Jesus. If we continue to mull over these negative thoughts, more often than not, they will produce sinful actions.

Yet isn't it unrealistic to think that we as sinful people will never complain? I mean even Job was an amazing complainer. He had every reason to complain, didn't he? His entire family and household was destroyed. "I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God: Do not condemn me, but tell me what charges you have against me." Job 10:1-2 So there must be legitimate and justifiable reasons to complain, right? I believe it is part of our fallen human nature to complain when things don't go as well as we like. We can't put up a front and hide our feelings from God. He knows what we are going through and he certainly understands all of our trials, frustrations, and disappointments. Yet instead of lashing out at those we love or ostricizing others, I think He would rather we "tattle" to Him. Tell Him about so and so who has tremendously grieved your heart; cry out to Him about your rebellious teenager and ask for wisdom on how to handle the situation; vent your frustrations to Him about your husband who seems to take you for granted. He is a big God...He can handle it. There is a huge difference in taking our disappintments to Him versus sharing them with others. Granted it sure does feel good when we sit down with a girlfriend who seems to understand and even agree with us, but the question remains, "Does it really make any difference?" Do any long lasting results coming from venting in this way? She is just as powerless to do anything about the situation as you are except sympathize with you. If it is sympathy you want, then go ahead, but if it is results you are after, then I believe there is a better way.

I was reading about Hannah in the book of 1 Samuel. She was one of Elkanah's two wives and and she could not have any children. The other wife, Peninnah, had several children and she provoked and irritated Hannah continuously for years because Hannah was barren. Yet she did not retaliate. She had every reason to feel discouraged and bitter--she was unable to bear children, she was ridiculed by Peninnah, her husband couldn't solve her problem, and even the high priest misinterpreted her actions. So grieved in spirit was Hannah that she could not eat and continuously wept. Her husband loved her immensely and saw how troubled she was. Yet he could do nothing to help her. She wept in "bitterness of soul" and prayed to her God. Eli the priest saw her mumbling and accused her of being drunk. She assured him she was not drunk but deeply troubled and was pouring out her heart to God. So Eli told her to go in peace and may the God of Israel grant her what she had asked for. After she prayed, she went away and ate and her face was no longer downcast. "The Lord remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him." 1 Samuel 1:20.

What I love about this verse is that what man is powerless to do, God isn't! He is the one who heard Hannah's complaints, and He is the one who did something about it. Although Hannah may have had every reason to complain about Peninnah's provacations, she didn't complain about her mistreatment. Instead, she came boldly before the throne of Grace and asked the Creator of the Universe to intervene and bless her with a child. So much faith did Hannah have that she was even going to dedicate her baby boy to the Lord for His service. Now that is faith! I wish I could say that I would have handled the situation in a similar fashion. But I cannot. I would have probably wasted my efforts complaining about the injustice of the treatment I was receiving and wondering why God was punishing me. (In those days childless women were considered a disgrace and failure and a social embarrassment for the husband).

Hannah, on the other hand, honestly prayed to God and resolved to leave the problem with Him. What a lesson that is for us. No one will dispute that we live in an ever-changing, fast-paced world, where circumstances continually change, friends come and go, and loved ones let us down. It is also inevitable that disappointments will come our way and may leave us feeling unhappy, discontent, or even aggravated. The challenge is what will we do with these feelings? Will we brood over them and allow them to infect us from the inside out, or will we run to the throne of Grace as fast as we can and pour out our hearts to God? He truly loves us more than we can ever imagine and He has the power to change things. He may very well enlighten us and invite our participation, or he may take care of the situation all on His own. He can do that you know. The One who holds the universe in His hands cares about each one of us. Not only does He have the answer to all of our problems, He has the solution as well.

"Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed." 1 Sam 2:3

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Heb 4:16

"Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you can become pure and blameless children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe." Phil 2:14