Grumble Grumble

James 5:9

Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. — James 5:9

Why do we struggle with grumbling? James would not have to warn us against grumbling if it weren’t a common struggle. What is grumbling? The dictionary defines it this way: to mutter in discontent. In the Bible, the book of Exodus records the Israelites consistently grumbling against Moses. Grumbling does not solve problems; it just makes them worse. Grumbling is easy because we can just complain to our friends about an issue as opposed to actually dealing with that issue. Our natural tendency is to complain about other people when they offend us or do something we disagree with. 

Ultimately when we grumble, we are not showing our dissatisfaction with other people; we are doubting God. Instead of talking with Him about the issue, we complain to our friends or vent to anyone who will listen. There are times when it is necessary to talk through issues with a counselor so that we can work towards Biblical resolution. However, that is not what grumbling is. Grumbling is not seeking a resolution. It is venting your frustration, implying you are better than the people you are complaining about and that you’d rather complain to your friends than take it to God. Grumbling shows a lack of faith.

We have a greater temptation to grumble when we are trying to be patient. It is easy to complain when things are not happening as quickly as we would like them to. James gives us a stark warning as to why we should not grumble. He reminds us that the Judge of this world is standing at the door and He will judge those who grumble. When we grumble we are placing ourselves in a position to judge other people. We think we are correct and, therefore, have the right to judge those we disagree with. When we are offended by someone else, we are called to talk with them, not grumble about them. Our responsibility is not to be the ultimate judge of those around us but, rather, to trust God who is the Perfect Judge. We should patiently wait on Him rather than grumble because things aren’t going the way we want them to. Paul gives us similar encouragement in his letter to the Philippians:

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. — Philippians 2:14-16

When we grumble, we are acting the same way as the unbeliever. We are called to be a shining light in a dark world. May we trust in God and do all things without grumbling.