Grumblers Be Warned

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and we need help, friends!

Oh, my goodness, don’t we need help?! A new political season is underway, and, like you, I’m still heartbroken by all the division. The coronavirus hasn’t quite let up. There are new strains from other countries and, yes, Ken and I, even though we have already had COVID, we’ve still gotta be cautious. People are not happy, and neither are Christians. I have been putting up my spiritual antennae, and I’m hearing things that, I don’t know, they just alarm me. I’m hearing grumbling, complaining, murmuring. Even slander. Everybody seems to have a gripe or a grievance, or they feel victimized, and it’s awful! ’Cause I think some Christians are feeling like it’s their duty to voice complaints. “I mean, somebody’s got to tell the CDC; somebody’s got to tell the new administration; somebody’s got to tell the media!” So much complaining; oh, my goodness. So much murmuring and grumbling from my brothers and sisters in Christ. It reminds me of the Israelites and how they felt when they complained about Moses. 

Back then, to God’s people, it didn’t matter that God was sovereign and in control of all their problems. It wasn’t important that Moses had a good track record. It didn’t even count that the Lord had rescued them from slavery. These people were confused and feeling like they were going in circles. Day by day, leaning into hard times. Constantly being harassed by enemies. God’s people were disgruntled, and they were bound and determined to voice their gripes. They felt it was their right.

It’s alarming when God’s people feel they’ve got a right to complain; a right to slander the very leaders that Paul tells us to respect and pray for in 1 Timothy 2. He even tells us to pray with thanksgiving. And all the controversy surrounding the vaccine and this virus that still lurks? We never stop to think that God is sovereign; that he is in control, and he wants us to be grateful for that. And so, not believing it, we grumble. And man is that scary, this faultfinding thing. It’s really scary because the book of Jude has some pretty serious things to say about it. Just listen to this, starting with verse 14 in Jude; it says: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Oh, my goodness, wow. It’s like he’s talking about drug pushers or embezzlers or pedophiles, but no, it says, “These people are grumblers and faultfinders.” Let that sink in. The word ungodly is used four times – count them, four – to describe not murderers and adulterers, but grumblers and faultfinders. 

It’s a difficult season in our country right now, I’ll admit. And your gripe might be justified. Really. Wrongdoing might be going on that needs to be exposed. But make sure you do not slander; make certain your concerns are legitimate and that you’re not indulging in a complaining spirit. Examine your heart. Are you voicing your complaints to the right people, in the right way, for the right reasons? Let God take a peek at your motives; just make sure all is well, okay?

And, friend, I know these are hard words. But I just felt I had to share these things. ’Cause Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” That’s a hard command, but honestly, it’s a good one. Because you don’t want to find yourself in that group that Jude describes, right? That’s right.

Oh, and one more thing – I want to send you a copy of our Joni and Friends newsletter, so just go to joniradio.org.

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