Do You Whistle?

Do you whistle? My son Kyle has discovered whistling. We have a children’s CD which has a song that has a whistling interlude. He tries to make that sound, and is amazed that I can (although not very well). One can whistle a tune, but one can also whistle to sound a call. I was at a ladies’ retreat last week, and since it can be difficult to pull women away from the buffet or their conversation when it’s time for the group to reconvene, we employed the skills of a skilled whistler to get everyone’s attention. That shrill sound is much more effective than yelling. It amazes me that the same skill that calls us to attention can also be used to create a contagious musical interlude. How do your words, or your whistle, sound to the Lord?

God has given us His word as a promise and as a reminder of the things which He has done before. That alone should have us whistling a happy tune, and yet we often complain instead. Donna Partow in her study Extracting> the Precious from Isiah, says that “complaining is like whistling for the devil. If there’s one thing Satan loves to hear, it’s the complaints of God’s people.” Not only does Satan delight in it, but the Lord wearies of it. Think of someone you know who is constantly complaining. It’s like the little boy who cried wolf. At some point, it just becomes background noise, and a true cry for help may go ignored. When the Israelites were grumbling in the desert, Moses reminded them, “You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord” (Exodus 16:8). When we complain, there is an attitude shift in us:

My house is too small.

This is taking too long.

It’s not fair.

I deserve better.

You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord, the Lord,
is the Rock eternal.

Isaiah 26:3-4

If your mind is steadfast towards the Lord’s strength and his faithfulness to his people, you will trust in him. What do your complaints say about where your trust lies? Do you trust in the Lord?

We do have real trouble, and we should share our trouble with the Lord’s people so that they may lift us in prayer as well. What’s the difference between complaining and praying?

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

James 1:5-6

We must ask with a purpose. We must believe that God cares will give generously to us. Our honest petitions regarding a too-small house will not necessarily result in the provision of a larger house, even if we believe without doubting. This verse reminds us that God will generously give us His wisdom. God’s wisdom results in us having the mind of God, which will most often result in contentment with what He has given us. If we are content, we won’t complain. Ask for it, and wait for it to come.

If you knew that each complaint you uttered pricked the ears of Satan, would you think twice about it? How can you change your prayer life and your prayer requests to demonstrate your steadfast trust in God?