Today's Eagle's Wings: Thursday, March 11, 2010

The children of Israel were a nation of murmurers. Numbers, which contains the record of their wilderness journeys, could be called The Book of Murmurings. The Israelites could always find something to grumble about. God names the sin of murmuring as one of the reasons for His judgment upon them in the wilderness. Paul says, Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer (I Cor. 10:10). When will we realize that murmuring is a sin that not only displeases God and often discourages Gods servants, but can also divide or destroy the work of God?

Sir Winston Churchill used to tell the story of a family that went on a picnic. During the afternoon their five-year-old son fell into the lake. None of the adults could swim. At great personal risk, a stranger who was passing by plunged into the water fully clothed and managed to save the life of the drowning child and present him safe and sound to his mother. Instead of expressing her gratitude for saving her sons life, she complained to the hero, Where is Johnnys cap? She had found something to complain about even in her gratitude.

To those who use the tongue to murmur and complain, Paul wrote, Do all things without murmurings (Phil. 2:14). A Swedish proverb says, Those who wish to sing always find a song.