By now, all of us have begun to feel the effects of this pandemic that has ravaged our world. While some of us may have been directly affected by the virus itself, and others have been affected indirectly, none of us has escaped it’s reach. Some feel the ache of this health crises in their body, others in their mind and emotions; some feel it in their checking account, and still others feel it in their heart and soul.
People we know are struggling with a disease, and some are dying. Some among us have lost their jobs or have had their paycheck cut or are wrestling with the uncertainly of how much longer their employer can keep them on the payroll. New babies have been welcomed into families with little or no fanfare from their church community. High school seniors are faced with the prospect of closing out a huge chapter of their life with none of the traditional celebrations that typically serve to mark that significant season of accomplishment. Engaged couples are confronted with the choice between postponing their wedding or conducting it with no family or friends. A myriad of other potential implications exist, and all of them are heartbreakingly sad and disappointing.
I know that part of a Biblical response to this season is to fight against worry and fear, and trust in God’s sovereignty and goodness. But the disappointment and sadness that we feel is real. Should we simply stuff those emotions and pull ourselves up by our proverbial boot-straps…or, is there a Biblical way to express our sadness and disappointment?
Thankfully, the Lord understands our grief and sorrow, and gives us a Biblically faithful way to process it called lament. This dictionary definition of lament is “a passionate expression of grief or sorrow”, and I’m grateful that we find many examples of lament in the Bible. Over a third of the psalms are laments. One entire book of the Bible is named Lamentations. To lament is to cry out to God from the depths of our sorrow and grief; it is to give expression to the disappointment and sadness we feel, while never losing sight of a determined belief that God remains both sovereign and good.
In his book “Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy”, pastor and author Mark Vroegop notes that most laments include four essential elements: turning to God, expressing your complaint, asking boldly for help, and a determination to trust in God. Psalm 13 can be used to illustrate each of these four elements:
Turn to God. “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?, How long will you hide your face from me?” (v.1). The psalmist chooses to talk with God about what is happening. Have you taken your sorrow and disappointment over this pandemic to your Father?
Expressing your 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?” (v.2). Vroegop says, “More than a sinful rehearsing of our anger, biblical lament humbly and honestly identifies the pain, questions, and frustrations raging in our souls.” Lament gives voice and expression to our grief, without relinquishing our faith in God’s sovereign and gracious love. Which leads to the third element.
Ask boldly for help. “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.” (vv.3-4). Godless mourning often leads to despair (“there’s no hope”), while Biblical lament allows us to hope in God and His promises to His people.
Choose to trust in God. “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” (vv.5-6). Biblical lament should always lead to this end. While it gives voice and expression to our sorrow, lament is also a means by which we can renew our faith in God’s providential care for us.
We should lament over sin (ours and others), but we can also lament over loss and disappointment. Through Biblical lamentation our feelings of sadness, grief, and disappointment can be expressed to God without them becoming a faithless tirade of complaining, resentment, or anger. Again, as Vroegop notes, “Lament is the prayer language for God’s people as they live in a world marred by sin. It is how we talk to God about our sorrows as we renew our hope in his sovereign care. To cry is human, but to lament is Christian.”
May we lament the suffering and sorrow that this season elicits, while remaining faithful to keep our hope centered on our good and sovereign Lord.
Written by Ken Rucker