In the desert the whole community complained about Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only the Lord had let us die in Egypt! There we sat by our pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted! You brought us out into this desert to let us all starve to death!”
Exodus 16:2–3
Are there times when you hate your life? That was the case for the Israelites in the desert. “We’re sick of this food,” they complained. “We need meat.” Really? God has just brought you out of slavery, and you’re going to complain? Sheesh! What’s up with that? From where we stand it all seems so crazy, doesn’t it—complaining after what God had just done?
But have things really changed? After all, isn’t complaining about your lot in life, like having a big nose or not being popular, like accusing the God who gives you all that you have of not giving you enough? Did you know that everything that happens to you has to come through God to get to you? Does that make him a tyrant in your eyes? It might if you don’t know the big picture.
The truth is that God has a purpose for everything in your life. And he promises to work all things together for good. All your aches, pains, and emptiness—he’ll use it all for good if you’ll do just one thing: trust him. Can you trust that the place where you are in life right now is exactly where you should be? Everything that he gives or takes away is for your benefit. Even if it feels like the exact opposite, don’t believe your feelings but trust him. When you do you will find a life filled with hope and direction. You won’t be wandering in the dark, dry desert, but you’ll find your promised land, the place where you can be content no matter what happens.
Are you tired of being unhappy? Do you want victory? Then choose it. Choose to trust God and believe that your life is under his control no matter how lost you feel. You must believe God’s Word when it says, “all things work together for the good of those who love God” (Rom. 8:28).