Even though complaining is described as a form of communication, too much of it is destructive. Nothing good comes out of complaining because it makes you focus on the problem rather than the solution. In relating to God, many complain thinking they are praying and they don’t realise it! And so I ask you: Do you complain too much? Do you want to know whether you are complaining too much? Do you want to stop the habit of complaining when you are supposed to be praying? Continue reading slowly…
Exodus 17: 3-7
Tormented by thirst, the people complained against Moses. ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt?’ they said. ‘Was it so that I should die of thirst, my children too, and my cattle?’ Moses appealed to the Lord. ‘How am I to deal with this people?” he said. ‘A little more and they will stone me!’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take with you some of the elders of Israel and move on to the forefront of the people; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the river, and go. I shall be standing before you there on the rock, at Horeb. You must strike the rock, and water will flow from it for the people to drink.’ This is what Moses did, in the sight of the elders of Israel. The place was named Massah and Meribah because of the grumbling of the sons of Israel and because they put the Lord to the test by saying, ‘Is the Lord with us, or not?’
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
1. Complaining too much yields nothing!
Child of God, both the people and Moses were under pressure: they were thirsty. But while the people complained Moses prayed: the Bible says “Moses appealed to the Lord”. Complaining makes us focus on the problems, and when we focus on problems we become overwhelmed and consumed by it! But when we pray, solution comes because (in prayer) we seek what God has to say to us in our situation. God says to Moses: “You must strike the rock, and water will flow…” In your present situation have you sought what God has to say? Search the scriptures, God has already responded even before you had your ugly experiences!
2. Speak to the rock- Jesus Christ and (living) water will flow
Child of God, in the biblical text we read above, Moses was asked by God in the wilderness of Rephidim to ‘strike the rock’ and water will flow (Exodus 17:6). Elsewhere at Kadesh, when the Israelites would encounter thirst again God would command Moses this time to ‘speak to the rock’ and water will flow (Numbers 20:8).
Even though the details of these events are different, they should be taken together for a profound understanding. In the first one, God told Moses to strike the rock. In the second one, God told him to speak to the rock. The rock was a symbol of Christ as St Paul puts it:
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4).
Since the rock signifies Christ, striking the rock was a prefiguration of the death of Christ which happened once and for all (Rom 6:10). So, the next time God does not want Him struck figuratively again, but to be spoken to. Hence He commands Moses to speak to the rock!
This command concerns us today, to speak to Jesus crucified from whose side flows the living water that quenches our physical and spiritual thirsts!
Listen, to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:10, Jesus says:
‘If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you: Give me a drink, you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given you living water.’
Are you asking? Are you speaking to Jesus now or you are complaining?
3. Speak to Jesus, Stop Complaining!
When you kneel to pray and find yourself doing the following, you are not praying but complaining:
- You only feel negativity or see problems and don’t see any solutions
- You often ruminate about past ugly events and cry
- You experience a lot of regrets and wish you could go back and change things
- You frequently experience feelings of anxiety or fear
- You tell your problems to God but don’t wait to hear what God says in your heart.
- You don’t search the Bible to know what God says about your situation
Wow! This resonated with me Fr. Thank God for the deposits of wisdom and the various media you share His word. May He bless you and strengthen you. Amen. May the name of God be praised
Amen. Yes I believe the York of suffering has been taken away from my life this day. Complaining is not my portion anymore.
Thank you just so much for these beautiful words my father. I bless the day our parts met because since then my life has greatly change I glow like the sun now. 🥰
Amen…may God continue to take away my sufferings ijn .Amen
May God be praised forever.Thank you Padre
Complaining has always been my life😞😞oh how I didn’t know how worse it is!!!! I’ve picked a big lesson and I hope I will heal. Thank you Father for not resting on us. Be blessed 🙏🙏
Hmmm, I pray that the almighty God will grant me the wisdom to be more appreciative. Thanks Padre.
Amen, good evening father, thanks for this reflection, it has made me realised the biblical connections between rock & water in the old testament & Jesus the rock in the new testament.
This is a great revelation! May the Lord pardon me for striking Jesus & grant me the grace to begin to speak to him through the same Christ our Lord, Amen 🙏
Amen. Thank you padre. This reflection has renewed me.