What Happens When You Quit Complaining?

That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

Numbers 14:1-4 (NIV)

Do you know someone who complains constantly? I do. Her glass is always half empty. No matter how I try to put a positive spin on our conversation, her negativity leaves me depressed with nothing else to say.

Remember the story of the Israelites poised to enter the land God promised them after their escape from slavery in Egypt? In Numbers 13, God told Moses to send twelve spies into the Promised Land. They spent forty days exploring the land.

Upon return, ten of them reported large fortified cities and powerful giants who would eat them alive (Numbers 13:32-33). Only two, Joshua and Caleb, gave a good report of the fertile land. Caleb had faith in the Lord to secure the land. He said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30 NIV).

After hearing the negative report, the people rebelled against Moses. They cried and complained against God, and said, “why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword (Numbers 14:3)?

The root of the Israelites’ complaining was fear and unbelief in God’s promises. So, God declared no one over twenty years old would enter the Promised Land except Joshua and Caleb. He consigned them to forty years of wandering until all the adults died. In addition, God struck down and killed the ten spies who gave the bad report (Numbers 14:20-38).

It’s easy to think I would have acted differently than them. But in reality, I still complain plenty. 

So, what happens when you quit complaining? Here are a few things.

You have more friends

Positivity attracts people to you. People want to be around those who uplift and encourage, not depress and discourage.

You please God

When we believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we please God with faith in Him and belief in the promises in His Word.

The author of Hebrews wrote, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him^” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).

You find freedom from fear

Quit complaining and recall God’s faithfulness. We no longer fear because He promises to provide what we need.

You experience joy and God’s blessings

Trusting in God’s promises brings joy and peace. You realize everything works for your good, even pain and suffering (Romans 8:28). The Israelites who grumbled missed out on God’s blessings of the Promised Land.

You fulfill your God given purpose

God created you for a purpose. Complaining turns our focus on ourselves instead of what God plans for us. The grumbling Israelites never experienced God’s plan for them.

Final thoughts

God, through the apostle Paul, warns us not to be like the Israelites. Paul wrote, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-15 NIV.)

Do you want to be like stars in the sky and reflect the light of Jesus? I do! Then quit complaining and start trusting God.

It’s easy to say but hard to do when faced with difficult circumstances. Thankfully, if we believe in Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for our sin, God offers grace and mercy and we are declared not guilty. And the Holy Spirit reveals how to quit complaining for good.