Season of Lament: Embracing Grief and Hope

Since the middle of March when #StayAtHome became a reality for my family, I readily accepted the challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID- 19 pandemic. Even through last week, my husband and teenage daughters agreed we were managing well.

And then we hit a wall.

The compounding effect of one small loss after another, finally took its toll. Inspirational hashtags and memes were not enough to raise our spirits. Remembering the example of the Greatest Generation during the Great Depression and World War 2 was not enough to bolster our courage. We are physically healthy, but our spirits are worn.

Throughout April at DoNotDepart.com, we are addressing how to respond to trouble in the world.  Struggling with what to share, I keep coming back to the word “lament.”

Defining Lament

According to various dictionaries you’ll find that “a lament” is “a cry, grief or mourning.” A biblical understanding of lament points to something more purposeful and God-focused. Contributing writer at DesiringGod.com, Michael Vroegop, defines lament as a “divinely-given invitation to pour out our fears, frustrations, and sorrows for the purpose of helping us to renew our confidence in God.” The Psalms and Lamentations provide prominent examples of lament in the Old Testament. Jesus even laments in the Garden of Gethsemane and from the cross.

A lament gives us space to mourn, encourages us to reach up and out, and spurs us towards steps of faith.

Mourn

Loss. Grief. Signs of brokenness encompass daily life as “sheltering in place” grinds on through April. I hesitate to share my struggles when so many are experiencing greater sorrow. Everyone is struggling with varying degrees of heartache. For this reason, I share my lament with God. It is for Him. I give God all of my heartache because He is my safe place. The writer of Lamentations knew this. Hear him as he pours out his heart to God:

I remember my affliction and my wandering,

  the bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them,

  and my soul is downcast within me.

(Lamentations 3:19-20, NIV)

Threatened by overwhelm, music provides a solace and helps me communicate with God. Hymns like, Abide with Me, Be Still My Soul, and O Sacred Head Now Wounded resonate within me. More contemporary, Rich Mullins’ music, helps me express my sadness and distraught to God. Rich’s song, Hold Me Jesus, is currently part of my playlist.

Reach Up and Out

Yet, a lament is more than a cry; it is a declaration of hope. Simultaneously as I reach up and ask for God’s help, I am declaring that He alone is the answer to whatever besets me.

Yet this I call to mind

    and therefore I have hope:

 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

    for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

(Lamentations 3:21-23, NIV)

Although not directly stated in these verses, I believe God imparts hope and help through His people. It is good to reach out for help. Revealing our vulnerabilities to others, asking for help, gives God another avenue to impart His compassion and new mercies. It buoys our hope.

Step Forward in Faith

Throughout the songs and prayers of lament in the Bible, after the mourning and supplication for relief, there is a commitment, a decision, to act in faith. Faith is trusting God for my next step because He knows what is best. I relinquish my plans for His. See how the writer of Lamentations yields himself to God through faith:

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;

    therefore I will wait for him.” (Lamentations 3:24, NIV)

Here the writer’s step forward in faith is to wait for God’s lead. The current state of affairs is forcing us to wait, but maybe God is asking you to take action. After crying out to the Lord this past weekend, He directed me to an opportunity to teach my 4th grade Sunday School class via Zoom. Crafting a lesson on God’s love for a digital classroom instructed my heart and energized me to keep moving despite my feelings. God created the opportunity for me because He knew I needed it. I am glad I followed His lead.

Grief and Hope

The season we find ourselves in right now is marked by sadness, disease, and death. Our grief can overwhelm us and bring us to despair, or we can turn to God in lament and find hope. Tanner Fox, an associate pastor at my church says lament “properly honors the sting of grief and the joy of hope.”

I don’t know what difficulties you are facing today. You weren’t made to bear it alone. Cry before the Lord, seek His help, reach out to the Body of Christ, and embrace grief and hope.

Do you need to reach out for a word of encouragement? Do you need prayer? Please reach out to me in the comments.

Do you have a prayer of lament from scripture that you turn to in times of trouble? Please share it in the comments.