Cheap Whine

This morning as I read my devotion I was reminded of the grumbling Isrealites.  Once they were led out of Egypt, they began complaining.  Whine, whine, whine.

It is a question that comes easily when things do not go our way, even more so when things go horribly wrong.  Some of these times include brokenness, financial ruin, prodigal children and so many more that come from living in a fallen world. 

How many times has this happened?  To many to count in a lifetime?  What do you fall back on?  Even for me, it was difficult.  Although I never asked why, I always said "I just don't understand!"  "God, help me to understand!" 

Having dealt with that, I found myself where many before me and many after me have found themselves.  I made the comment "I just want my old life back!"  I cried out to God and asked Him to give me my old life back!   Of course if you have travelled through the wilderness you know that the last thing you want is that old life! 

You see, if God did grant you a chance to "go back" you would go back to what was taking place in darkness that you knew nothing about.  It wouldn't be a better life, it would just be the old one.  A life of deceit, lies, misleading, anger, bitterness, whatever the poison was. 

We can not look back.  We can not wish or like in my case cry out to be returned to those "old days." I have long lived past that old life and I can tell you that God has been the sole sustainer.  Yes you may feel alone but you are not, you may think you have no friends but you do, you may think God has left you but my friend....He is the one carrying you.  That is not a cliche!

It is not easy for me to say this but I say it with all the confidence of God's Word...do not look back.  Do not long for the days of old.  The "old life" for the Israelites would have been Egypt under Pharaoh and they actually whined about.  It was what we call "cheap whine!"

There is new life in Christ!  Everyday there is new life.  I remember someone once saying "The windshield of a car is larger than the rearview mirror because we travel forward rather than looking  back."

If you find yourself in a position where you feel you have "lost everything" or if your life has changed completely as a result of someone else's actions, or if someone or something has put you in a position of emptyness, remember that we serve a great, big, God! 

Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused.  Numbers 11:1

The Lord answered "Is the Lord's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."  Numbers 11:23