WHAT ARE YOU SPREADING?
Then Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for He has heard all your complaints against Him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the LORD, not against us.”
Exodus 16:8 (NLT)
There’s a difference between complaining and lamenting. Lament—seen in stories like David, Hannah and throughout the New Testament—is a form of prayer that expresses deep need and pain and becomes a pathway towards hope. Lamenting invites the Lord’s provision. Complaining, in contrast, accuses. Complaining asks, Why have You done this to me? Lamenting asks, Who is the Lord, and how does He want to meet me?
The Israelites were truly hungry. They were in a barren desert and needed provisions. It wasn’t their need that displeased God—it was their complaining.
Why? Because complaining reveals a deep distrust in God’s faithfulness and poisons the hearts of the community. Complaining is contagious. Like a wildfire in summer, it spreads quickly, causing great harm.
Our hearts wrestle when things don’t go the way we hoped or expected, and there’s beauty in wrestling with God. However, one complaint can spark a fire of confusion, ingratitude and unfaithfulness—not only in us but also in others whose hearts are vulnerable. When we complain about the Lord—or each other—we measure God’s faithfulness by the standard of our wants and expectations. That spark festers and begins to accuse God of negligence. It becomes a breeding ground for entitlement, pride, superiority and control—everything opposed to the fruits of the Spirit.
Suddenly, a minor inconvenience becomes a full-blown war against God’s character. A grumbling community is the enemy’s playground. Because, at its core, it’s not really about the need, the desire or the frustrating person—it’s about this question: Is God really who He says He is?
That’s why we must be careful not to let lament become an attitude of grumbling. Even when it’s hard, we’re called to encourage one another toward faith, hope, gratitude and love. This posture opens the door to worship and truth, radically different from the world's ways. Complaining spreads, but so does faith. And when our eyes are fixed on God’s faithfulness, our hearts grow expectant and our hands open to receive what He provides.
APPLICATION: Ask the Holy Spirit to help you turn complaints into an honest lament that invites God to meet you in your need.
PRAYER: Lord, help me bring my need to You with trust, not accusation. Teach me to lament with hope and to speak words that stir faith in others. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?