Whine and Fish
Posted by Dion Todd February 12th, 2023 2,627 Views 0 Comments
Whine and Fish from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
Children are notorious for whining and tend to have short memory spans. They forget what you did for them last week, and the most important thing on Earth is what they want right now. They are often greedy and selfish. It's a sign of immaturity.
When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they behaved like children. One day they are singing praises to God on the beach, and a few days later, they want to stone Moses and return to Egypt. Sure, God had freed them from slavery there, but that was days ago. Where is He now, and what has He done for us lately?
(Exodus 16:2–3 NKJV) Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
So the Lord rained manna around the camp. It was bread from heaven. But they weren't happy with that very long either:
(Numbers 11:4–6 NASB) The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? “We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”
It's not a sin for us to bring our problems to the Lord. He welcomes us to do so in prayer and to make our needs known. James said that sometimes we do not have not because we do not ask (James 4:2). But we should not allow a whining, bitter, complaining spirit to poison our relationship with Jesus and steal away our joy. The enemy will try and get you to curse your situation even further using your own words.
It didn't go well for the whiners. The Lord grew tired of hearing them say, "We are going to die in this wilderness!" When He had heard it one too many times, He finally thought, "You know what, that's a great idea! Have it your way." Then He told Moses this:
(Numbers 14:27–29 NASB) “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me.
The Apostle Paul wrote that the things that happened to the Israelites in the wilderness were an example for us and that we should not whine and grumble as they did:
(1 Corinthians 10:10–11 NASB) Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
We need to reach a level in our Christian walk where we are happy with the Lord, regardless of our circumstances. The Apostle reached this level of contentment.
(Philippians 4:11–13 NASB) ...for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Paul said he had to learn the "secret" of being content, for it's against our nature. Today, we live in a microwave society used to instant gratification, but delayed satisfaction is a sign of maturity. David wrote:
(Psalm 131:1–2 NKJV) LORD, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
If we examine some of the things Paul lived through, we can see that he practiced what he preached. In Acts 16, Paul cast a spirit of fortune-telling out of a slave girl who was following them around, and the masters who were making money from her became very angry with him. They dragged Paul and Silas before the magistrates:
(Acts 16:22–24 NKJV) Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
(Acts 16:25–26 NKJV) But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.
For doing a good deed, they tore Paul's clothes off, beat him with rods, threw him in prison, and fastened his feet in stocks. What did Paul do when the going got tough? He sang hymns! Then there was a great earthquake, and he led the jailor and his family to Jesus.
The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. When you are thankful and praise the Lord, it invites His presence into your situation. So make it a point to praise God in whatever circumstance you happen to be in. Enjoy your life, but include God in it!
(1 Timothy 6:6–8 NKJV) Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
(Hebrews 13:5–6 NASB) Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”
The Lord sees things differently than we do, such as what is valuable and important. For example, on Earth, gold is a precious resource, but it is used for paving roads instead of asphalt in heaven. Maybe we can learn to be content with what He has given us here, for everything you see around you is temporary.
You can pray this with me if you like:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You so much for all You have given me! Please forgive me if I have ever inferred otherwise. Make what is important to You important to me, and let me see others through Your eyes. Please work Your perfect will in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!