Hearing His Voice #321

The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt?”

Numbers 14:11

“Lord, teach me something about You that I don’t already know.” This now-familiar request was answered in a surprising way when I had spent quite enough time hearing people complain about a situation they were going through. They had some basis for their complaints, but they couldn’t see that their blessings far outweighed their hardships. Were they going through a difficult time? Sure—but not without God’s grace or guidance. They would come through it fully supported.

Parents often hear complaints from children who don’t realize how good their situation is. At times, that can be amusing; more often, it’s disappointing. Even when we have a lot of grace for their limited perspective, we long for them to see how much they are loved. Clearly, the spirit of complaining and negativity of the Israelites in the wilderness was offensive to both God and Moses, and my prolonged exposure to a group of complainers helped me understand why. In a moment of awareness, I realized how God can take our complaints personally and experience a measure of grief from them. And in that moment, I felt deep sympathy for His heart.

God gives us snapshots of life that make His Word intensely personal for us. It’s one thing to read about Him in a particular story, another to find yourself in a somewhat similar situation that brings to life the relational dynamics of that story. If we listen carefully, we will sometimes hear a whisper: “This is how I feel when . . .” That whisper may tell us of joy, delight, compassion, or zeal, or it may tell us of grief, jealousy, or anger—all emotions that Scripture assigns to God frequently. The result is greater sensitivity in our hearts to God’s nature and a greater bond of fellowship with His Spirit. When He shows us who He is, we have heard an invitation to draw closer.

Lord, I know from my own experiences how hearts are affected by negativity. May I never grieve Your heart that way, and may I always be sensitive to Your reactions to the words of Your people. Expand my empathy with You.