James reminds us that we should be quick to listen and slow to speak (Jam 1:19f; see also 3:1ff). May I be so presumptuous and suggest that this is even more true when we are inclined to grumble. In the past, I have been occasionally confronted after leading the worship service with people who grumbled about what I should have done or said or could have done better, or on occasions about what someone else could have done better.
Well, when it comes to grumbling (or even encouraging us to do better or something more to our liking), there are some things that are better left unsaid, especially when we come together for worship. One of the things that takes the joy out of serving the Lord or being involved in some aspect of leading a worship service, is when we must listen to people grumbling about what we are doing as individuals or about the bride of Christ in general.
As Christians we do well to consider the words of Paul in Eph 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” That is true all the time, but perhaps no truer than when we come to worship, especially if we are inclined to grumble. Some things are better left unsaid, especially on the Lord’s Day when we come to worship.
I mention worship, for so often grumbling occurs in the context of worship. The minister’s sermon was too long. The person leading in prayer forgot to mention a loved one by name. The elder should have worn a neater shirt or tie. The singers at the front were not in harmony. The music was too loud or too soft or even too fast! Sadly, when we have a mindset to grumble, we can always find a ‘grumbling’ stone to throw.
Perhaps to avoid being known as a “grumbler” or a ‘grumpy’ person, we should put some filters on our thinking and tongues when we think we need to voice an opinion. How will what I say (or write) be a blessing to the person who hears or reads them? Will it ‘build them up” or tear them down? Will it encourage them to worship our Lord and Saviour, or will it dampen their enthusiasm? Perhaps more importantly, will what we say bring honour to the name of our Lord or bring his name into disrepute?
Throughout Scripture, God’s Old Testament people are often guilty of grumbling, and it was often driven by them forgetting what God had done for them. For example, during the exodus, God’s people quickly grumbled to Moses and Aaron (Exo 16:2; Num 14:2), forgetting the great acts of redemption and delivery, not least out of the slavery of Egypt. When one reads the book of Judges, the nation of Israel is recorded as forgetting the Lord and what he had done many times, which inevitably led to idolatry (Judges 2:10ff).
I guess it is easy to grumble when things are not going well or something that is being done doesn’t quite meet our expectations. We all do it. But it is precisely at those times we should watch our tongues, because we can so easily grumble and say something that is unhelpful and detrimental to a fellow Christians emotional and spiritual well-being, as well as their enjoyment of worship and the honour of the Lord’s name.
I guess when all is said and done it comes down to what lives in our hearts when we come to worship. Afterall, out of the overflow of our hearts comes our words (Mat 12:34). One way to avoid grumbling is to focus our hearts on what the Lord has done to redeem us and the spiritual welfare of the people listening.
Now this doesn’t mean that some things shouldn’t be addressed. But Sunday worship is not the time! On the days when we gather for worship, does what we say build up, or will it deprive a fellow Christian listening of joy they have in the Lord and be detrimental to their worship of God’s name? If it is the latter, we may need to examine our hearts and consider what we were going to say is better left unsaid JZ.