Exodus 16:9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
Numbers 16:16 And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, before the LORD,
Ezekiel 34:30 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 39:22 The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward.
Joel 3:17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.
Zechariah 13:9 And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”
Zechariah 10:6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.
Psalms 34:15-19 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
Psalms 50:15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
Psalms 91:15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.
Isaiah 65:24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.
Jeremiah 29:11-12 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
Romans 10:12-14 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
I am intrigued by these verses. God, showing His love, mercy, awesome power to a nation of grumbling people. They were not calling on God but rather grumbling against Him. They were not believing in Him, trusting in Him, relying on Him but rather living in the circumstances and the situation they were in. They are just weeks from where God showed 8 great wonders prior to delivering them out of the hands of Egypt, days past when the Red Sea was parted and fewer days from water being supplied. Still, these great wonders of God did nothing to change there heart. Did they see these things as works of an Awesome God or just flukes of nature? Did they not question how these things could happen apart from God?
When you think about it, complaining and grumbling does not take much effort. It comes easy. It does not need much of a push to get us there. This seems to be our natural state of mind if left unchecked. Still, it is a choice.
Just as it is an intentional choice to grumble and complain, it is an intentional choice to believe (trust in, rely on, cling to) God. For those who do, they will see the Mighty hand of God at work. They will hear His whispers of leading, encouragement, hope, peace, and joy, with eyes and ears wide open. They will cling to His promises. They will call on Him. They will pray to Him. They will rely on Him. They will trust in Him. They will seek and desire Him. They will honor and glorify Him. They will humbly serve Him. They will wait on Him. They will follow Him. They will obey Him.