“Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp.” (Numbers‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

The people of God were complaining on their way to the Promised Land. On their way; they weren’t there yet. Why did they expect it to be sunshine and lollipops before they had set foot in the sacred space? They were protected and provided for. They were physically close to God. They were en route. Yet they complained and it cost them dearly.

My heart is chided this morning. I have issued a few complaints of my own this past year. Like the Israelites, I’ve been traveling through some tough territory. But God has provided. Protected. Stayed incredibly close every step of the way. I have no grounds for complaint because this ground isn’t my journey’s end; I haven’t reached the Promised Land just yet, so why might I expect easy, fruitful or blessed?

Beloved, each of us are still on the trail, still blazing our way through the terrible wilderness, sustained by the power, presence and perfect leading of our Lord alone. There’s no room for complaint, only praise that we’ve pushed through another day, a few more steps in the right direction.

Gratitude and praise insulate us from complaint. We can’t possibly give thanks and grumble in the same breath. We stay thankful when we far we’ve come, when we remember we aren’t stuck in Egypt any longer. We praise God when we remember that though we haven’t quite reached the Promised Land, we are well on our way and we aren’t still slaves. Our worst day in the wilderness is a walk in the park compared to eternity in the heat and bricks.

It’s the far-off complainers who were burnt up. The ones who were busy keeping their options open, ready to break camp when an easier way of life came into view.

We’ve got to stay close and we’ve got to stay thankful. We live in the center of the camp and in the center of His will. When we are close we can’t hear the whispers of the wilderness over the roar of His faithfulness. When we are close we are walking under the cloud of His glory and sleeping under the fire of His presence.

Sometimes thankfulness in the wilderness costs everything we still have; that’s when it is most crucial. Gratitude fuels faithfulness. We, as God’s people, can’t afford to forget our vows.

“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.” (Psalms‬ ‭50:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Lord, pull our hearts even closer today. Help us hear and see You in the midst of our wilderness. Remind us, over and over if You have to, that we aren’t home just yet. Life on the road is hard, but we don’t need to waste breath in complaint because we haven’t arrived. We are almost home, if we’ll just stay close and stay grateful. We can see Your protection and provision. Keep us engaged in praise and gratitude as we consider all the ground we’ve covered together. Bring us all the way home as soon as Your ready. Amen.