praise and be raised or complain and remain | Life Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement by Jeff Davis

The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years because of their grumbling and complaining, so how much longer are we going to allow ourselves to starve to death in the desert when God is calling us to the land of more than enough, the land filled with blessings, and the land which His Word promises?

Our journey will always be filled with stress and challenges; in fact Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “In this world you will have troubles.” What we choose to do in these seasons of troubles will define us and will test if we believe in the promises of God. Right after Jesus tells His disciples they will have troubles, He says, “But take heart, for I have overcome the world.”

Jesus speaks these words to His disciples after they had already forsaken and deserted Him, so they carry an extra meaning here; one that we must not miss. How many of us have proclaimed Jesus with our lips, but denied Him by our lifestyle? Imagine how the disciples must have felt when Jesus returned and you will begin to see how this passage points to the contrast between the life that all must lead, which is a life in this world, and a life that all do not lead, which is a life in Christ. All must live in the world and thus have trouble, but people may also live in Christ, and when they do, they have peace.

Our tendency to complain about our circumstances is an epidemic that has spread like a virus attacking each host; until it can leach onto the next person we dump our load on. I once read that people are garbage trucks driving around looking for someone to dump their garbage on. Instead of being victors in Christ, we have allowed ourselves to become victims of our own circumstances. However, if we would take our problems to God, He promises in Jeremiah 31:25: “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

If we are not careful, our tendency to complain opens the door to sin. Venting to God is completely fine, but if you are complaining to someone about something or someone they have no power to fix, you are sinning. Complaining is focused on finding faults, while wisdom is focused on finding solutions. The only thing complaining really does is show others how much you are not in control. For some, they believe language was created out of a deep desire to complain, but it was truly created to bring glory to God, and if we are all being honest, we always have far more to praise God for than we have to complain about.

Our complaining, when left unchecked, quickly leads to both self-pity and eventually rage, but when you take your worries to God, He will put His thoughts in your mind and He will put His song in your heart. Rather than fearing your inadequacies, rejoice in the Lord’s abundance and remember when you are weak, He is strong. He is a comforter to the brokenhearted and He promises to supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

By definition, insanity is doing the same thing again expecting a different result than the previous attempt yielded. We have all done this at some point, but we are also told if you keep doing the same thing, you will continue to get the same results.

In an ever-changing world, both of these assumptions hold some truth, but the one constant that is guaranteed in either scenario is change. Change happens whether we want it or not, so the best thing we can do is prepare ourselves for when it presents itself.
In life, we must always stay open to God’s plan while realizing just because something worked in the past, that doesn’t mean it will in the future. The only way you will know what to do in any circumstance is if you stay in close communion with God and are willing to make adjustments along the way according to His perfect plan for your life.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” This starts by making an effort to be open to trying new things and not continuing to do things just because that is always the way you have done them. To truly embrace change, you must listen to the still small voice inside your heart, be obedient to God’s Word, and be ready for God to do amazing things in and through you despite adversity and challenges.

As you walk through trying times it can feel like you are stuck in quick sand, it feels like you are losing control of everyone and everything around you, and that there is no way out. It is here where you must not succumb to feeling helpless or hopeless. The way out is up and the way up is down on your knees! God promises to neither leave nor forsake us and regardless of how we got ourselves in the mess, God is our ever-present help in time of need and He is there to help restore us, empower us, and make us useful again.
In this world, we are told we will have problems, but we are also told that God will cause all things to work together for our good. It may not happen today and it may not happen like you imagine it, but it will happen. Our finite mentality cannot comprehend the complexity of God’s plan. Seasons meant to steal, kill, and destroy us; God uses to provide, give new life, and build us up by equipping us with whatever we need to make it through that chapter of life.

Many of us so desperately await the next chapter of our lives to begin while others are ready for a completely new book free of all past errors and wrong choices, but God uses those too as a great sequel for your future. Always remember to praise God in the good and the bad and to give Him your complete trust even when you cannot see a way.
In times of adversity you can praise and be raised or you can complain and remain. God doesn’t need our praise, but He wants it because He knows how uplifting and empowering it is for us if we can praise Him even when the world is crashing in all around us.The Lord is Jehovah Nissi, our banner and our conqueror; He fights for us just as Joshua fought for the Israelites. Moses gave the Lord this name at the altar he built after the Israelites defeated the Amalekites. During this battle, as long as Moses kept his arms lifted high, the Israelites were winning, but the instant he lowered them the tables turned. This portrayal resonated in me as I pictured Moses trusting Joshua to lead the army while he was praising God with his arms held high, but as he weakened and could no longer keep them up, the Lord’s protection would leave God’s chosen people and the Amalekites would start to win. In this story, we are told two people: Aaron and Hur came up beside Moses when he could no longer keep his arms raised and they helped him keep his arms raised high.

God calls us to do the same thing when we see someone struggling, He calls us to come alongside to stand together, and He calls us to stand firm in our trust and our praise. A cord of three is not easily broken and I believe the same holds true today because if we can keep our hands lifted high and continually praise God especially in the trying seasons of life, God most assuredly will deliver us and give us victory to triumph over any obstacle or adversary. Today, despite what is going on in your life, some of you need to raise your hands and just praise God, while for others you need to look for people who need help keeping their arms held up, and for some of you, God is calling you to be a Joshua and to fight for those you love.