Lamenting is a critical part of life for those who fear God. It keeps our eyes on Him when sorrow tempts us to run in the opposite direction.
Lamenting gives us the means to vent and process difficult situations, provides an opportunity to lean on God for transformation, and bestows on us a hope that can only come from Him.
Sometimes during lament, praise erupts.
Reason1: God Focused
Instead of standing in our house of mirrors and complaining about our pain and suffering, we look to God and pour out our frustration at His feet. David gives an example of this in Psalm 13: 1-4:
Long enough God – you’ve ignored me long enough. I’ve looked at the back of your head long enough. Long enough I’ve carried this ton of trouble, lived with a stomach full of pain. Long enough my arrogant enemies have looked down their noses at me. Take a good look at me, God, I want to look life in the eye, so no enemy can get the best of me or laugh when I fall on my face (Psalm 13: 1-4 MSG).
Reason 2: Trust
Verses 1-4 are pure lament and no evidence suggests one complaint was answered. The desperate conditions continue with no hint of his petitions being granted. Because David turned to God to vocalize his suffering, we witness a radical change in his lament in verses 5-6.
“I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms – I’m celebrating your rescue. I’m singing at the top of my lungs. I’m so full of answered prayers” (Psalm 13: 5-6 MSG).
I feel you, David. I, too, have wallowed in self-pity, kept company with Entitlement, and Discord, and even walked down Dreary Lane a time or two with tears streaming down my face, all while lamenting to God. It’s nothing short of a miracle when my lament turns to praise. One minute I’m standing in my house of mirrors sobbing and the next I’m singing to God.
Reason 3: Transformation
You may feel lamenting is nothing more than complaining or grumbling. Should we speak to God this way? Yes. He can handle it! But the difference between godly lamenting and ungodly complaining is perspective. Complaining is all about me, however, lamenting is keeping my eyes on God amid my pain and grief, expressing my undesirable situation and sorrows to God while choosing to trust Him completely. The only way to turn lament into praise is through trust.
Reason 4: Hope
Not only can God handle our lamenting, but He welcomes it. We trust Him enough to bring Him our despair and He gives us hope in return. And our biggest hope in lamenting is that one day it will no longer be necessary.
We enter this world crying and it continues throughout our life because the world is broken. However, one day Jesus will return, and when He does “He will wipe away all tears from our eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that will be gone forever” (Revelation 21:3 TLB).
Take Away
If we pray our lament long, hard, and honestly enough, something amazing happens. The storm clouds of despair dissipate, and we catch a glimpse of the SON.
When that happens, as it did with David in Psalm 13, we can’t contain the joy we feel, and our lament turns into praise.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In