Moses’ prayer of complaint

Earlier this week, someone posted an article on the Internet with images showing what happens to the brain when we complain. Reportedly, a habit of complaining rewires the brain, making a person more and more aware of every little negative thing!

When Moses led God’s people out of slavery and toward the promised land, he had to deal with countless complaints by countless people. As mediator between them and the Lord, he presented the grievances directly to God in prayer:

Exodus 5:22-23 – a prayer of Moses

And Moses returned unto the Lord,

and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou

so evil entreated this people?

why is it that thou hast sent me?

For since I came to Pharaoh

to speak in thy name,

he hath done evil to this people;

neither hast thou delivered thy people

at all.

From the Book of KJV Prayers – actual prayers from God’s Word collected by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, from the King James Version of the Bible

Exodus 5:21-22 – a prayer of Moses

Lord, why

have You brought

so much trouble

on Your people?

Why did You send me?

Ever since I got here

things have gotten worse,

and You’ve done nothing

to help!

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations and paraphrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

Continual candor and persistent prayer in frequent heart-to-heart talks with God helped Moses to develop a deep faith and trust. Undoubtedly, those choices and actions also kept his brain from being hot-wired to attract negativisms!

Today, scientists assure us that simply becoming aware of the tendency to complain is the first step in stopping the problem. In fact, the brain has a remarkable plasticity by which it can rewire itself as we conscientiously change our thought patterns. How? We have only to look back about 2,000 years for the answer that, as God-incidence would have it, happens to be today’s verse from Bible Gateway:

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things,” Philippians 4:8, King James Version (KJV.)

May the Lord God help us to hear and heed!

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2020

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