Griping and complaining are vocal amplifiers of one's heart attitude. What's the solution for us gripers?First, realize that complaining is dangerous. While many Christian leaders have fallen into immorality, I wonder how many more Christians have been declared "unusable" by God because of their complaining? For many of us, that snare is the temptation to gripe, grumble and complain against God (see 1 Cor. 9:24-10:13).
Second, remember God knows what He is doing. Joseph puts me under the pile. He was tossed into a pit by his brothers, sold into slavery, unjustly accused of fooling around with Potiphar's wife, thrown into prison and forgotten by a friend he had helped. Yet Scripture doesn't record a single complaint from his lips.
What was the secret of his complaint-free life? The answer is in Genesis 45:5-8, where we find Joseph, now the governor of Egypt, addressing his starving brothers. Three times in four verses Joseph says, "God sent me here." His perspective came as a result of an uncommon faith in an omnipotent God. Joseph grasped the truth that God is in control and knows what He is doing.
Third, put away past complaints that may become bitterness. If you have a complaint against a brother, go to him in private and clear the slate.
Fourth, "in everything give thanks" (1 Thess. 5:18). Jesus gave the disciples a "test" of their faith by putting them in a little boat, on a big sea, in an even bigger raging storm. The disciples complained that they were perishing, instead of acknowledging God's sovereignty and trusting Him.
God wants you to see Him in the midst of your circumstances, to trust Him even when you do not see the outcome clearly presented in front of you. That is true faith; knowing His Word is truer than anything you can think, see or feel.