I know this past Sunday’s message, especially the section on lament, touched a chord with some people.  I believe the language of lament is an important language for God’s people.  It should be one of our “second” languages.  There is so much in the world that happens that leads me to cry out to God in pain or agony.  I sense injustice and need to yell at somebody; so I yell at God.  I’m convinced the Psalms and some other scriptures give me permission to do so.  In fact, it seems like God wants this from us.  God wants us to be so passionate about life that whenever we see life not being like it is supposed to be God wants to hear about it.  “How long, O Lord?  Why, God?”

One of the resources that has been a real help as I ‘ve reflected on lament is a book by Michael Card, A Sacred Sorrow(published by NavPress).  Card gives us background on lament and shows us the lives of four people of lament: Job, David, Jeremiah, and Jesus.  Card encourages us to find “the lost language of lament.”  He also gives some resources for lament, picking some of the lament Psalms, some extra-biblical laments, and even some instruction in how you can journal and write your own lament.  Sometimes people have come to me at a real loss because of something life has thrown at them: depression, divorce, death.  One of the things I’ve found helpful is to pray the psalms as your prayers.  This is the language God has given us - and a lot of the language is pretty gritty.  It deals with life as it is.  The Psalms will often speak for us in our pain and suffering.  They give us permission to lament.

And what we discover is that God is there.  When we cry out to God in the midst of despair we usually find God is there.  As Michael Card says: “Lament is the path that takes us to the place where we discover that there is no complete answer to pain and suffering, only Presence” (p. 129).

Joining with you in discovering God’s presence, even in lament,

Ken