Do you know what lamenting is ? Do you lament to the Lord ? Does your preacher give sermons on lamenting or the book of Lamentations?
Yesterday I was unknowingly writing about lamenting when I described crying out to God instead of trying to make myself feel better only by faith and forced “joy”.
I learned more about it when I Googled the subject and found many articles about how we should know and talk about this more .
My Jewish friend was very familiar with the concept. But despite my extensive Bible studies and church attendance, I can honestly say I never knew anything about the practice of taking your troubles to God in this way, or at least I didn’t have a name for it. If anything, I secretly felt guilty for doing it.
I wanted to write about it again because I feel like we are cheating ourselves out of a powerful means of grace and peace when we do not turn to God this way.
Yes, Christians should be joyful because of our salvation. And most of the time we should be able to focus on the good and be thankful for our blessings even on difficult days. But life can be very hard at times. Children and loved ones die, relationships end, careers are lost, physical pain happens, people betray us. God wants us to turn to him in those times of despair .
And it’s a fact that even if you haven’t experienced deep grief or personal suffering or physical pain yet, the odds are high that you will. And that experience can cause a faith crisis if you don’t know what to do with it.
Lamenting is not just whining. It’s more like a child telling their mommy why they’re sad and expecting her to comfort them. It’s about trusting God with your deepest pain. It requires a lot of faith!
So learn about lamenting. And don’t be afraid of it. The Lord is close to the broken hearted .
Psalm 116
I Love the LORD[1] I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. [2] Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. [3] The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. [4] Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” [5] Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful. [6] The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. [7] Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. [8] For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; [9] I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. [10] I believed, even when I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted”; [11] I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.” [12] What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? [13] I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, [14] I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. [15] Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. [16] O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. [17] I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. [18] I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, [19] in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
Blue Skies and Green Pastures 
You said, “it’s a fact that even if you haven’t experienced deep grief or personal suffering or physical pain yet, the odds are high that you will. And that experience can cause a faith crisis if you don’t know what to do with it.” That is a nugget of wisdom. I am much more comfortable around believers that are genuine, including when they’re going through suffering. Chuck Swindol wrote a book back when I was just starting out as a young believer, called “Dropping Your Guard” talked about the importance of not wearing a mask (even/ especially during those time when our response might include lamenting.
I also find that people who are honest with themselves about their own suffering are more compassionate towards others.
Amen! I love where you’re going with this subject.
I was really blessed once when I discovered people in the Bible shaving their heads, covering themselves in ashes and sackcloth, and tearing their clothing. In some parts of the world there are still wailing walls! This all sounds almost comical to our ears in the modern West, but sometimes I think we don’t realize how stoic we are. Our culture is much more restrained and almost emotionally repressed. You can go to church and hear a prosperity gospel or a positivity gospel, but not so much a lamentation gospel. The thing is, it’s actually in those dark nights of the soul that you really draw close to Jesus and learn to trust in Him.
Jesus Himself went through this, He had some dark nights, He was sweating tears of blood.
Of course I’m not suggesting anyone needs to shave their head or cover themselves in ashes. Also, we can’t blame churches for being too uplifting or positive. Preaching about lamentations, suffering and grief, is a pretty tough sell. People need to hear it though, because as you’ve said, we ‘re all going to face it at some point. People die. Bad things happen. Life can just be really painful.
I don’t know if everyone is stoic or just brainwashed into the positivity cult. I think it’s dysfunctional and we need to be more honest . It could be a Sunday school course or at least a once a year sermon . Maybe add some verses or a hymn to the service.
It feels almost unacceptable to talk about suffering or even sin . Only joy ! But it’s a reality! I feel bad for the lonely, elderly , widows, chronically ill , struggling parents etc who feel they have to put on a happy face in church. Even as a church body it seems like we should do what you said , corporately mourn the sins of our nation. It would strengthen the church, set us apart from the world, and draw us closer to God.
Amen. I would love to corporately mourn the sins of our nation or even just the sins of our communities! Here in my area we have lost so many people to the drug epidemic, but there are really two worlds, the churchian world and the world outside where people grieve and suffer. It separates people and keeps them away from faith. Somebody smart once said the church was a hospital for sinners. I wish we would return to those roots.
It has struck me that there are a few Biblical themes that are neglected in our evangelical churches in this “feel-good and happy culture.” Yours is one, lamentation for which we are not be prepared. Tomorrow my blog is about hell, something I cannot remember the last time I heard about.
We need a “full gospel” from our pulpits.
❤️&🙏, c.a.
We sure do. That’s a good topic , C.A.