A “Praiser” or a “Grumbler”?

Don’t you love to be around a person who is positive, unselfish, and encouraging to others with thoughtful, personable, praiseful comments?  On the other hand, it is difficult to be around a person who is grouchy, a grumbler…right?! 

God is the same way.  He loves the positive and thoughtful praises of His people.  In fact, Psalm 22:3 is translated as “God is enthroned upon the praises of His people” or simply “God inhabits the praises of His people.”  When we praise God, we sincerely bless Him.  He dwells in the midst of His people who truly praise Him.  

Ephesians 5:18 commands for us as believers to “be filled with His Spirit.”  The word “filled” means that He will “abound or flourish abundantly in, flood or diffuse throughout” that believer.  You are filled with God.  The expression of this is revealed in v. 19, “¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; ²⁰ always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father.”  When God is genuinely and comfortably present inside a believer, this person will be praising Him.  God wonderfully enjoys a heart of praise.

On the other hand, God despises grumbling, and He is blunt about it.  ”Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” (James 5:9) Ouch!  He cannot stand a grumbling heart and mouth.  Why?  Grumbling originates from a heart of unbelief.  A grumbler is running his or her own life and mouth pushing God into the corner.  There is no place for God to impact that life.  He is “grieved.”

Philippians 2:14-16 says, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” A grumbler frustrates the Holy Spirit and is not fun for Him as well as anyone else to be around.

Jude 1:14-16 is even more eye-opening, “Enoch prophesied about them: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones ¹⁵ to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’ These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.” 

Take heed if you are a grumbler.  After reading scripture, it becomes evident that the Lord despises grumbling.  Humble yourself and trust Him.  Ask God to give you a heart of praise.  “He inhabits the praises of His people.”