As the calendar flips to February, the depths of winter often bring with them a sense of lethargy and gloom known colloquially as the "winter doldrums.” Doldrums can feel like the onset of mild malaise or a sense of unhappiness, often manifesting as mumbling and grumbling—signs that we're in a season of discontent. It’s that space where dissatisfaction creeps in, and we start to focus more on what's wrong than on what’s going well. We might catch ourselves complaining about everything from the economy and the news to traffic, our church, or even just the weather.
God’s People Mumbled and Grumbled
The Old Testament contains numerous examples of the Israelites grumbling and complaining, especially in the books of Exodus and Numbers – which I encourage you to revisit if you haven’t done so in a while. There you will see that the people seemed to be filled with discontent leading them to grumble. For example, in Numbers 11:2, God’s response to their complaints is noteworthy: Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them, his anger was aroused. This reaction suggests that God takes grumbling seriously—perhaps because scripture tells us it is a sin. How can complaining be a sin? Because grumbling reveals a heart filled with unbelief, discontent, and selfishness. It reveals a lack of trust in God's provision and an attitude that focuses more on personal frustration than on gratitude, faith, and reliance on God.
Paul’s Reminders
In reminding us of the Israelites’ exodus and their responses to trials, Paul cautions, Do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by destroying angels (1 Corinthians 10:10). Paul links grumbling with other serious offenses like sexual immorality, idolatry, and revelry, warning us of their destructive consequences (1 Corinthians 10:7-8). Grumbling, in this context, is not just a minor annoyance but a serious sin that, in the case of the Israelites, led to death. The weight of this warning highlights how deeply God values a heart of gratitude and trust, and how far-reaching the effects of discontent can be.
Changing our ways
If we are to be blameless, it means living a righteous life—one that is morally upright, virtuous, and far from wrongdoing. It’s about striving to reflect God’s character in our actions and attitudes. Transformation can originate in us because of the invaluable promise God gives us Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him (James 1:12). This promise reminds us that perseverance through trials leads to a greater reward—a life marked by God's approval and eternal blessing. It's a powerful reminder that the struggles we face are not without purpose, and that they can refine our character and deepen our love for God.
Paul further instructs us to Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world (Phil. 2:14-15). Are we a brood of vipers, allowing the darkness in our hearts to spill out, as Jesus points out in Matthew 12:34? Or are we Spirit-filled, letting the Holy Spirit guide our words? For Jesus says in that same verse, For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. If our hearts are filled with the Holy Spirit and His Word, then our words will reflect that truth. When we are truly filled with His presence, our mouths will release life, not the negativity of complaining.
Let God sanctify your tongue today. Ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse and fill you, to guard your mouth so that every word you speak brings life. Fill your heart and mind with the Word, so that when you face life’s tests, it’s His truth, not grumbling, that spills from your lips.
In Christ's love,
Tracey
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