Have you ever met someone that complained all the time? 

No matter how good their day was going they could still find something to complain about. 

And the worst complainers are those that blame everybody else for their own problems. 

I recently read about a woman who was complaining about how much things have changed since the ‘good old days.’ 

She said, “Everything is farther away than it used to be. It is even twice as far to the corner and they have added a hill. 

“I have given up running for the bus; it leaves earlier than it used to. 

“It seems to me that they are making the stairs steeper than in the old days. And have you noticed the smaller print they use in the newspapers? 

“There is no sense in asking anyone to read aloud anymore, as everybody speaks in such a low voice I can hardly hear them. 

“The material in dresses is so skimpy now, especially around the hips and waist, that it is almost impossible to reach one’s shoelaces. And the sizes don’t run the way they used to. The 12s and 14s are so much smaller. 

“Even people are changing. They are so much younger than they used to be when I was their age. On the other hand, people my own age are so much older than I am. 

“I ran into an old classmate the other day and she has aged so much that she didn’t recognize me. 

“I got to thinking about the poor dear while I was combing my hair this morning and in doing so I glanced at my own reflection. Really now, they don’t even make good mirrors like they used to!” 

It is obvious that this dear lady just couldn’t face the fact that she was the one who had changed. 

Instead of facing the reality of her own problem, she had decided that the problem must lie with everyone else. 

Now this problem of complaining is nothing new…in fact, it’s been around for a long time. 

The Bible tells us in Exodus 16:2,3: “In the desert the whole community complained against Moses and Aaron. 

The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.’” 

Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt where they had been enslaved for over 400 years. 

But instead of being grateful for their deliverance the Israelites decided to complain. 

When they remembered their experiences in Egypt all they could think about was the food they used to eat. 

They had forgotten the fact that they had been slaves… driven and beaten by a power-hungry, egotistic Pharaoh! 

When Moses heard their complaining he prayed and God answered his prayer. 

God sent the Israelites manna in the morning and quail in the evening to eat. He then brought forth water out of a rock so they could drink and bathe. 

You see, God doesn’t move when we complain — He moves when we pray! 

Without Moses praying for them, the complaining Israelites would have died in the wilderness. 

So the next time you’re tempted to complain about your situation or blame your problems on others–just stop, drop and pray. 

Besides, no one likes to listen to a complainer… not even God.

Rev. Doug Johnson is the senior pastor at Raven Assembly of God in Raven, Virginia.