HOW TO LAMENT WELL
Read Time: 3 min 4 sec
HEY REDEEMER FAMILY,
Instead of looking ahead to the next week, we are going to take a step back and reflect on the events of the past week. The tragedy of the shooting at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis hit close to home, and we believe it's necessary to spend time in lament to the Lord. We mourn and pray for every family who lost a loved one in this tragedy and fix our gaze on Jesus, the man of sorrows acquainted with grief.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Christian lament is not simply complaint. Yes, it stares clear-eyed at awfulness and even wonders if God has gone...Yet at its fullest, biblical lament expresses sorrow over losing a world that was once good alongside a belief that it can be made good again. Lament isn't giving up, it's giving over. When we lift up our sorrow and our pain, we turn it over to the only one who can meet it: our God.”
Josh Larsen
THE LANGUAGE OF LAMENT
HOW TO LAMENT WELL
"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?"
- Psalm 13:1
If you are anything like me, there is a tension in your heart when you are confronted with the word "lament." There is a certain mystery about it, an uncomfortable feeling that it is wrong to bring such sorrow and questions to God. You may, like me, often try to turn from grief and pain to find rosier feelings elsewhere, moving on quickly so that others and God aren't "burdened" by your hurt (but realistically, so you yourself can avoid the burden).
In my desire to get through my pain, I can skip the important steps of processing it. I can focus in on the prize of comfort at the other end, forfeiting the true prize of peace through the experience of God's faithfulness. Lately, I have been greatly convicted of my sin: the idolatry of comfort. I place comfort at the top of my list which causes me to run from pain, become complacent in work and relationships, and avoid conversations that may contain hints of awkwardness or confrontation.
I share all of this, one, to confess this sin in my life, but also in hopes that if you are like me we can work together to find our comfort in God alone, through the pain, through the unknown, through the awkward conversations, and the circumstances that lead us to the point of crying out, "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?" One of the ways we can do this is by practicing lament. We can, in the intensity and weight of our grief, pour out our fears, frustrations, and sorrows for the purpose of helping us to renew our confidence in God. And that is healthy, and that is Christian.
This article by Mark Vroegop of College Park Church has been helpful to me in learning how to lament. He also wrote a book called "Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament," which would be a great resource if you want to learn further.
Ultimately, our Almighty God grieves and sorrows with us and is strong enough to handle our questions, shouts of rage, and tears of agony. And He will answer with His overflowing love, His unfathomable mercy, and His unwavering faithfulness. Let us learn to run to Him when our sorrow tempts us to run away, and may we find the everlasting comfort of His arms.