Complaint deptartment

Psalm 55

         I think of this psalm and I think of all the complaining he is doing. It really isn't too much different from today. Perhaps back in the day it would be you never returned my stone chisel and today it would be you never returned  my chain saw. Times change but complaining , ahh that is a constant. The good part is that the complaining is being aimed towards God. Not a particularly good idea by itself but when you think about it, who is more interested in you? God loves you, he really wants to listen to you and I am sure he's strong enough to take whatever tongue lashing you want to dish out. 

      It seams to me though, if anyone has a reason to complain it would be Jesus. He has done absolutely nothing wrong as a human. He has done more good than we could ever expect for us as God. In a few short days he will be crucified. Think of the embarrassment, the shame, the betrayals (plural), having to say goodbye to his mother, the pain of having her see all this, saying goodbye to good friends, really good friends and I haven't even touched on the physical pain and anguish he endured (for us). It seems he has a right to do some serious complaining. ‘O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; Can you perhaps imagine Jesus saying that? Perhaps take me away from all this to a nice spa by the Mediterranean! But alas, he does no such thing. Jesus endures it all for us. He even has the presence of mind to forgive "for they know not what they do".

        We may have given up something for Lent and we may have done the hard soul searching to try and make progress to be the glorious being God created us to be, but can any of this be compared to what Jesus went through? It seems that almost anything we could conjure up would pale in comparison to what Jesus went through - without complaining. 

        Perhaps we can think about that when we find ourselves complaining about something. Further, let's focus on the fact that if you were the only person on the planet, Jesus would have willingly gone through it just for you. Think about that!

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
Give ear to my prayer, O God;
   do not hide yourself from my supplication.
Attend to me, and answer me;
   I am troubled in my complaint.
I am distraught ³by the noise of the enemy,
   because of the clamour of the wicked.
For they bring trouble upon me,
   and in anger they cherish enmity against me. 

My heart is in anguish within me,
   the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
   and horror overwhelms me.
And I say, ‘O that I had wings like a dove!
   I would fly away and be at rest;
truly, I would flee far away;
   I would lodge in the wilderness;
          Selah
I would hurry to find a shelter for myself
   from the raging wind and tempest.’ 

Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech;
   for I see violence and strife in the city.
Day and night they go around it
   on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
     ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
   do not depart from its market-place. 

It is not enemies who taunt me—
   I could bear that;
it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—
   I could hide from them.
But it is you, my equal,
   my companion, my familiar friend,
with whom I kept pleasant company;
   we walked in the house of God with the throng.
Let death come upon them;
   let them go down alive to Sheol;
   for evil is in their homes and in their hearts. 

But I call upon God,
   and the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
   I utter my complaint and moan,
   and he will hear my voice.
He will redeem me unharmed
   from the battle that I wage,
   for many are arrayed against me.
God, who is enthroned from of old,
          Selah
   will hear, and will humble them—
because they do not change,
   and do not fear God. 

My companion laid hands on a friend
   and violated a covenant with me^*
with speech smoother than butter,
   but with a heart set on war;
with words that were softer than oil,
   but in fact were drawn swords. 

Cast your burden on the Lord,
   and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
   the righteous to be moved. 

But you, O God, will cast them down
   into the lowest pit;
the bloodthirsty and treacherous
   shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.