January 21
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PSALM 106
24 Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise.
25 They murmured in their tents,
and did not obey the voice of the LORD.
26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
scattering them among the lands.
28 Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29 they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stayed.
31 And that was counted to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever. – Psalm 106:24-31
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PSALM 106 ON GRUMBLING AND COMPLAINING
A poem inspired by this psalm by ILMA
Counting our blessings is a way to worship the Lord
Grumbling and complaining is dishonoring to God
When the Israelites whined and despised the land they were given
They began to rebel and ignore God’s voice and provisions
They provoked the Lord to anger with their unfaithfulness
They forgot their covenant promise to a Lord who is full of grace.
When we grumble, we fail to see the gifts that God has provided
Dissatisfaction is an open door for greed and more transgressions.
Let us give up whining; instead, let us be contented
Let us not focus on what we don’t have but what we can give
To grumble is to rebel and be dissatisfied with God’s goodness
Let us replace discontent with worship and thankfulness.
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REFLECTION
• How can we catch ourselves when we begin to grumble and complain?