![]() To cry is human, but to lament is Christian. It is how we talk to God about our sorrows as we renew our hope in his sovereign care. Lament is the prayer language for God’s people as they live in a world marred by sin. More than the stages of grief, this prayer language moves us to renew our commitment to trust in God as we navigate the brokenness of life. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me” (Psalm 13:5–6). All roads lead here: “But I have trusted in your steadfast love my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. But lament invites us to dare to hope in God’s promises as we ask for his help.Ĭhoose to trust. Unremitting sorrow can create a deadly silence as we give in to despair (“there’s no hope”) or denial (“everything’s fine”). Seeking God’s help while in pain is an act of faith: “Consider and answer me, O Lord my God light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed over him,’ lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken” (Psalm 13:3–4). More than a sinful rehearsing of our anger, biblical lament humbly and honestly identifies the pain, questions, and frustrations raging in our souls.Īsk boldly for help. Every lament features some kind of complaint: “How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” (Psalm 13:2). The point is that the person in pain chooses to talk to God about what is happening.īring your complaint. Often a lament begins by an address to God: “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1). Four Elements of LamentĪs Psalm 13 illustrates, most laments feature four essential elements: It is a divinely-given invitation to pour out our fears, frustrations, and sorrows for the purpose of helping us to renew our confidence in God. It is more than just the expression of sorrow or the venting of emotion. “Laments turn toward God when sorrow tempts you to run from him.”īut lament is different than crying because lament is a form of prayer. Jesus lamented in the final hours of his life. The book of Lamentations weeps over the destruction of Jerusalem. The Bible is filled with this song of sorrow. Lament is not the same as crying, however. While tears and sorrow are part of our humanity, there is an often-neglected prayer language in the Bible for our travels through a broken world: lament. It continues because the world is broken. But there are other examples: cancer, addictions, failed marriages, relational conflict, loneliness, and abuse. Death is the ultimate reminder that something is not right with the world. Along with the fall of Adam, the created world was infected with the broken effects of sin. The apostle Paul says that the entire creation groans (Romans 8:22). However, we aren’t the only part of the created order expressing sorrow. ![]() Although none of us remembers the moment, the first sound we uttered after leaving the warm and protected confines of our mother’s womb was a loud protest.
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