Trusting God in the Midst of Suffering: Lament

 

Our eyes continually failed us as we looked in vain for help. From our watchtowers we watched for a nation that could not rescue us.  Lamentations 4:17

What is lament and how are we, as Christians, to use it in our spiritual life? Lament isn’t something that is often talked about in church or by the Christian influencers online that we follow. According to Bible Hub, lament is, “a form of prayer and expression that encompasses sorrow, mourning, and a plea for divine intervention.” It is a spiritual discipline, much like prayer and Bible reading. But lament is not just an expression of grief, it is also an articulation of trust in God amidst suffering and injustice. Lament turns us toward God when God seems far away (Annaliese’s sermon on lament). So how should lament factor into a healthy spiritual life?

 As I’ve mentioned often lately, Jesus promised us that trouble would come (John 16:33). If you are not currently experiencing a season of difficulty, as I am, you can probably remember one, and you probably have something coming in your future. Trials are a certainty in this life, and how we deal with them affects us deeply. If we squash our emotions down, shame ourselves into silence, the feelings don’t just go away. They get stored in our physical bodies. They can become stiffness, pain, even illness. They change our hearts and can shape us into people we don’t want to be; people God never intended for us to be. So, what’s the alternative? Expressing our emotions, allowing our pain to be seen. It’s scary. It’s vulnerable, but it’s so important. Your feelings are real and valid and God cares about them. When we allow ourselves to feel and share our emotions through lament, we release them, we take away their power over us and shift that influence into strength.

 Because lament is not often taught in churches today, you might wonder how one goes about it. Yes, some of it is natural, but we have worked so hard to resist our natural impulses that sometimes these gifts God has given us have to be intentional in how we practice them. Lament begins with addressing God. It is to Him that we must bring our distress. He is the only One capable of truly doing anything about it, so it is to Him we must turn in our hour of need. We start out by acknowledging who God is, that He is big and powerful and capable of handling what we are about to share. We do this out of respect, but also as a reminder to ourselves of Who we are talking to, and what He is able to do. Why do we bring our sorrows to God? Because He cares. If you doubt that in this moment, if God seems far off, here are a few verses that might draw you into this phase of lament:

        ·       Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

        ·       Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

        ·       2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.”

        ·       1 Peter 5:7 – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

 These verse invite us to turn to God in our trouble for He cares about them and about us.

 Our next step is to express our complaint. For each of us, in each season of trial that we go through, this will look different. It might be pain or sorrow or frustration over injustice. Here’s the key to this phase of lament, it must be real and raw and honest. We can’t hold back. We can’t be afraid of offending God. God knows your heart. He knows if you are carefully wording things to sound good when you really feel something very different. You must trust God enough to be fully straightforward with Him. This confession of our anguish is valuable in itself. Just saying out loud how we’re feeling is cathartic. Being honest is relieving. Many people, like me, have spent most of their lives hiding their pain, making themselves palatable to others. You may have been told that your pain doesn’t matter, doesn’t count, or that you shouldn’t bother others with it. You’ve hidden it away and put on a smile. But that’s not how God designed us to work, that’s not His desire. God wants us to be honest and real with Him. He told the Samaritan woman at the well, “But a time is coming - and now is here - when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers.” (John 4:23). To truly worship God, You must come to Him in spirit and in truth, and that includes being honest about how you feel and what you’re going through. So lay it out there before God. Tell Him what you’re dealing with, how you’re feeling, what your fears and your doubts and your worries are. Don’t worry, He’s big enough to take it. You’re not going to scare Him off or overwhelm Him.

 Next comes the ask. We lift our desires and hopes and desperate needs to God. We’ve told Him how we feel and what’s going on, now we ask Him to change it, to fix it, to use it. We want our pain to be worth it. We need hope. We ask God for real change in our lives, in the world. Truly, He is the only One capable of making it! When we do this, we release ourselves from that responsibility. Maybe you’ve been carrying the weight of the world, or at least the weight of your own problems, for a long time. Maybe you’ve seen it all as your job, but really, it’s God’s. When we lay our troubles at His feet, we trust Him to carry them in our place. I remember not too long ago I wrote a post about burdens that featured some art inspired by the Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. These pictures showed a man carrying a heavy load, that got bigger and bigger as his journey went on. When he met Jesus and found forgiveness, he was able to lay that burden down and experience true freedom. That’s the goal of this step. There is truly little we can do to fix our own issues and it’s not until we can trust God to do it that we can find peace.

 And that’s where we wrap up this process. We express trust in God that He will handle things perfectly in His timing. Maybe you don’t have the words for this right now. Maybe things are too fresh and too hard. I’m so grateful that we have the Bible for just this reason. When we don’t have the words, God has already given them to us. I encourage you to read these verses aloud. There’s something powerful about hearing God’s Word, about feeling your breath and the vibrations of your voice as you see it written with your eyes. Engaging as many of your senses as possible helps bring it to life and draw you into God’s truth. You might even run your finger along the words as you read (which works best if you're reading from a physical Bible), adding in the sense of touch.

        ·       Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

        ·       Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

        ·       Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

        ·       Psalm 9:10 – “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

        ·       Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Here’s the Thing: The practice of lament is a powerful tool God has given us to face life. This is how He designed us to deal with trouble. When we avoid it, when we numb it, when we look to other things to help us feel better instead of dealing with it, we just cause ourselves more grief. When you face trouble, bring it to God. He’s there, waiting, and He’s big and strong enough to handle it. He is your Good Father and He loves you so much.