Let Us Stop Complaining

LET US STOP COMPLAINING

Text: Lamentations 3:22-40

22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." 25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly, for the salvation of the LORD. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. 28 Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him. 29 Let him bury his face in the dust— there may yet be hope. 30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. 31 For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. 33 For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. 34 To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land, 35 to deny a man his rights before the Most High, 36 to deprive a man of justice would not the Lord see such things? Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it. 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? 39 Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? 40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.

We are all familiar with the word “complain”, it means to express dissatisfaction, pain, regret, discontent, uneasiness, resentment or grief. It means to find fault and accuse someone. It is synonymous to grumbling, whining, murmuring, lamenting, protesting and every other word that can be used to express dissatisfaction or discomfort.

Complain is very good when it is properly channeled. Someone has offended you and you complain to someone that can take care of it, that is perfect. When you complain to God about a situation and pray about it, that is OK. The psalmist complained to God about the wicked ones in Psalms 55 and 142. These are not bad complains, when you poured out your hearts to somebody with the intention of taking care of these problems, it is not bad. Because of what she was going through, Hannah complained and prayed to God and God answered her.

However, our complain is always to accuse, to protest, to find fault, it is about discontent, about why is someone having this while I am not, why is he riding a Navigator while I am just having a Volkswagen Beetle, are we not serving the same God? Is it a sin to serve You? Have you thanked God for the Beetle first? Or where were you God when this was happening to me? At times, when God has helped us and we have moved up or we have been promoted, we get too busy to attend the things of the Lord and when we are asked, we begin to say it was because of the work that God has given to us. Or complaining unnecessarily about our boss or superior or spiritual leader, your spiritual leader may not necessarily be your Pastor, he may be your Head of Department, your Youth Pastor, etc. Somebody that is ahead of you, no matter how small in the church or ministry setting may be your spiritual leader. Why is he always telling us that we come late? Why is he always calling me to join the prayer line or to do one thing or the other? Why? Why? Why? Complain! Complain!! Complain!!!

Whether it is hereditary or learnt I cannot really say, but I know that children as soon as they learn how to talk will start to complain, when you ask a child to go and bring something, he or she starts to complain. I asked my son to take out all the plates that they used to eat in their room to the sink, and he was complaining that, he was not the only one that used the plates. So I told him this time firmly, “I did not ask you who used the plates, take them out to the sink.” The earlier we discipline them and let them know that complaining is not good, the better.

Complains are directed towards ourselves, this is rare, but towards others and we as Christians mostly towards God. The first complainer in the Bible is the first man Adam, and he directed his complain to God, “the woman that you gave to me” so we can see that to complain is natural, however, it is not scriptural and not spiritual.