Lament - A Path to Joy in Sorrow - Part 2

As we noted last week, godly lament draws us closer to God, not away from Him. Pastor Rob Brockman said “ultimately {lament} is a wonderful gift to the children of God, because it presupposes a relationship with God and depends on it! Only those who can approach God in a covenantal relationship are able to lament because lament is pleading with God to act in accordance with His character and promises to us. The mere fact we are able to approach God in lament is a sign of intimacy and hope!”

For Job, although he did not get the answers he expected, God revealed Himself in new ways to him through his sufferings. At the end of it all, Job said: “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5-6, NIV). His sorrow and sadness led him to lament, his lament led him to a greater and deeper revelation of God, moving from simply just “hearing of God” to “seeing God.” God later blessed him: “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.” (John 42:12, NIV). Lament is a path to joy in the midst of sorrow.

The book of Lamentation is revealing. It contains the sorrow and sadness of Israel after Jerusalem fell to her enemies, the temple destroyed and God’s people banished into exile in Babylon. The author was honest about the state of affairs. The book opens with candid words about their situation: “How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave.” (Lam. 1:1, NIV).

They knew that their anguish was as a result of their sin. They knew they were under God’s wrath. “The Lord has brought her grief because of her many sins. Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion with the cloud of his anger” (Lam.1:5 & 8; 2:1, NIV). Yet they drew to him and cried out for His help, drawing His attention to their pain and grief. “Look, LORD, and consider, for I am despised. I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death.” (Lam. 1:11 & 20, NIV).

The author appeals to God’s nature and character when asking for mercy. They acknowledge they don’t deserve mercy, but they called on God’s love and faithfulness: “I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”. The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So, it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.” (Lam. 3:20-26, NLT).

“Lament helps us acknowledge our suffering, to not pretend or deny our plight, but then casts our eyes beyond our pain to our eternal hope and reward,” writes Pastor Rob. If Jesus, our greatest example lamented, why shouldn’t we? Drawing for biblical references, Pastor Rob suggested these four ways we can lament as Christians today:

Direct Your Conversation to God

This is not the time to lash out in frustration. It’s not the time to take it out on other people. It’s the time to talk to God. “It is an acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty in all things; that He brings about the circumstances in our life, and He is the One in control. Remember, lament is a gift for God’s children, it is part of the blessing of relationship with Him.” Talk to God in your own way, not “spiritual jargon.” Just express how you feel to your heavenly father. Remember, He already knows your innermost thoughts before you are able to form them in words, so why hide. Be open with Him.

Describe Your Suffering and Pain to Him

Although the Lord knows your thoughts, you still need to voice how you feel to Him. I think this is more a benefit for you rather than Him. Remember that old adage, “a problem shared is a problem halved.” If simply sharing your problems with another person makes you feel a bit better, imagine how you will feel when you share it with God. Tell Him how you feel. If you feel He is far, say that to Him. If you feel frustrated that He is not responding to you, tell Him. Here are a few examples of how the Psalmist describes his pain: “Why do you hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1b); “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?” (Psalm 13:1); “My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, ‘Where is your God?’” (Psalm 42:3).

Depend on Christ for Your Help and Hope

“This is where useless complaining turns into Biblical lament – we don’t simply pour out our sorrows and pain before God and end there. Rather, we then turn to the gospel of Christ to find help and hope in our suffering. We turn a corner, and we begin to preach the gospel of peace and hope to ourselves, and we turn to Jesus and ask Him for comfort, for His perspective, and we ask for Him to act.” For example, listen to how the Psalmist prayed “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Saviour and my God!” (Psalm 42:5, NLT).

As Paul encouraged us: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (1 Corinthians 4:16-18, NIV). When Paul refers to our troubles as “light” he does not mean to minimise their impact on our lives, but to put them in perspective in comparison to our eternal hope and glory.

Dwell on God’s Faithfulness and Character

“When lament is done right, it almost always ends with us dwelling on the faithful steadfast love of our God, and His character is the balm that calms our pain after we have genuinely confessed it to Him. Our hope is secure because He is! The goal of lament is not only to express our pain, but to correct our thinking and renew our faith. As we walk through the process of lament, we may not find our issues vanish, nor our physical pain release, but we are renewed in our hope and trust in God and His purposes.”

“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:2-5, NLT).

May we find comfort and Joy in God as we learn to lament.