Exodus 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
Alternatives to Complaining
Exodus 15 begins with a song and ends with an answer to Moses’ prayer. In between is a lot of murmuring. If your day is only as good and the best thing that happens to you, you are walking on eggshells every day of your life. There is a better alternative, and that is thanking God and asking God. In between these two is murmuring, complaining, and being miserable in life.
Exodus 15 begins by saying, “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD.” What follows is a beautiful song remembering God’s provision, God’s goodness, and God’s grace to the children of Israel. God had been mighty good, and Moses had the good sense to remember it. The song wraps up in verse 21 where the Bible says, “And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously.”
The children of Israel had just passed over the Red Sea. God had protected them and provided for them in a miraculous way. But, it took only three days in the wilderness without water for everything to take an abrupt turn. The Bible says, “And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” How could they think that God would bring them across the Red Sea but not provide enough water to drink?
Isn’t it amazing that God protected them from too much water when He brought them across the Red Sea and now He provided water when there was not enough! God led them out of their comfort zone so they would look to Him. But instead of looking to Him, they complained. This complaining implies that they thought God was not able, not aware, or not good. God is able, God is aware, and God is good. Asking God and thanking God are your alternatives to complaining. In verse 1, Moses thanked God for what He had done, and in verse 25, Moses asked God for what needed to be done. It says, “And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet.”
God is able, and every day we need to remember what God has done and trust God for what He can do. You will either thank God, ask God, or complain. Complaining should not be an option.