A troubled heart

Because the Israelites were complaining to the point of weeping at the entrance of their tents,

God became very angry, and Moses was troubled.

He said to God, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant?

Why have I not found favor in your eyes, that you have put the burden of all these people on me? ...

Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me,

'Give us meat to eat!'  I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.

If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—

if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin"

(Numbers 11:10-15).

Reflecting on these words, we can consider the troubled heart of the leader Moses:

• A troubled heart does not lead us to recognize God's grace

but makes us feel the burden (responsibility) God has placed on us even more heavily.

• A troubled heart makes us focus more on the realistic situation rather than looking to Almighty God in faith. It leads us to think in human terms and feel helpless due to the seemingly impossible circumstances.

• A troubled heart makes us feel like we are alone.
• A troubled heart makes us think that the Lord is not treating us as we desire.
• A troubled heart makes us see our situation as miserable and leads us to ask the Lord to take us to heaven instead.

• A troubled heart prevents us from recognizing the grace that God bestows, and instead, we wish for the grace we want from God.