Grumbling . . . again

 

 

READ Exodus 13-16

For my birthday, my hubby gave me a newer model of a tracker. I installed the app on my smart phone, then updated the same app on my computer. It synchronized fine, but would not do it again. I discovered that the tracker would not connect to the Bluetooth on my PC and finally found a chatline support person on the website for the tracker.

He informed me their newer models would only connect to phones and tablets, not computers. Really? Is that an indication that desktops and laptops will soon be obsolete? Or maybe the people who made the tracker will go out of business? Yikes. Or am I so totally behind the times in not wanting to be tied to my phone for much more than calling people and playing solitaire?

I was dismayed and annoyed. I wanted to grumble. Well, I confess, I did grumble. Then I read today’s readings. God told Moses that He would supply their food every day and how they were to gather it. They complained to Moses:

So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” (Exodus 16:6–8)

I know this. I know that God is sovereign and if I complain about anything, I am expressing annoyance at His decisions and displaying a lack of faith. I also realize some people would say that it was not God who decided to make trackers that would not work on computers, but I disagree. Ultimately, God can turn the hearts of kings to do His will, never mind put thoughts in the heads of computer app makers or anyone else.

Those who doubt that need to read the OT. I also know He can give me and all people good ideas and the ability to carry them out. He is the reason we can live and move, breathe and have our being.

Reading more, the Lord fed these people forty years with food they merely needed to gather every day. They didn’t even plant it, weed it, or have to grind it into grain. So what did they have to complain about? His goodness also extended to supplying clean water and taking care of their health. The water came after they grumbled about bad water. The health issue was given at the same time — and if this isn’t motivation to comply to His will, what is?

Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water. (Exodus 15:22–27)

Lesson: God has graciously supplied all I need. An exercise tracker is not a necessity but I grumbled for part of the day over it instead of being on my face thankful for food, clean water, and such amazing health that I am active enough to even use and appreciate a tracker. I also know that grumbling about anything is really against the Lord. I am thoroughly annoyed at myself — but also appreciate God’s timely rebuke and His awesome forgiveness. Someone should invent a tracker that records sin and/or obedience . . . well, actually, God already did; His Word and His Holy Spirit do the job extremely well!