Frustrating Your Encourager

Exodus 17:3
“And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?”

The verse above is part of a pattern of the children of Israel’s murmuring ways. The first time you see them murmuring was when they had just crossed the Red Sea and had experienced the great victory over the Egyptian army. They came to the waters of Marah and could not drink of them because they were bitter. Their response to this incident was to murmur against Moses as if he was the one who could change the bitter waters to drinking water.

The second time you see Israel murmuring is in the verse above. They came to a place where there was no water, which resulted in them chiding or blaming Moses for them not having water. Yes, they were thirsty, but they allowed their thirst to murmur against the one who could do nothing to quench that thirst.

The third time you see Israel murmuring was at the waters of Meribah. They again blamed Moses for their problem which resulted in Moses going to God to get the answer for their problem. Israel’s pattern of action to their perceived lack was to murmur instead of prayer.

What Israel didn’t realize was that their murmuring wore on Moses’ ability to help them. His response changed after each incident. The first time they murmured to him, he immediately went to God in prayer. The second time they murmured to Moses, he expressed his frustration to God in prayer. The third time they murmured to Moses, he got so frustrated that he smote the rock to show them his anger and frustration instead of speaking to it like God commanded. Their murmuring frustrated their encourager to the point of sin.

Your continual murmuring will most likely drive your encourager away from you. People can only take the whining of an individual for so long until they start to avoid you. Moreover, you could be driving your encourager to sin because of your murmuring ways. Yes, everyone is responsible for their own actions, but it would be terrible that your murmuring is what contributed to your encourager doing something they should not do.

My friend, you have to realize that your encourager is doing everything they can to help you. If they could do for you, I promise you that they would do it; however, your encourager can’t provide for you like God can. Your encourager gets frustrated because they get wearied with your lack of maturity to see that they are doing their best with what they have the power to do.

Let me remind you that you are one prayer away from getting your answer. It is interesting that Moses did what Israel could have done, and that was to pray. Sadly, instead of praying, they chose to murmur. Instead of praying, they chose to frustrate their leader. Instead of praying, they chose to discourage the one who God meant to encourage them. You can go to God to get the answer just like your encourager can. God can answer your prayer like He can answer your encouragers prayer. Stop discouraging and frustrating the one who is meant to encourage you.

Are you frustrating your encourager? Let me challenge you to make prayer your response instead of murmuring.