The Art of Lament: (pt.2)
Pain, Practice, & Peace
Mark Vroegop provides four-steps to engage lament. By way of recap they are: 1) turning to God, 2) complaining to God, 3) asking God and finally 4) trusting God. Yet the growing temptation is to stop at step two and therefore, rob oneself of seeing beauty inside the brokenness. Discovering the language of lament is like uncovering an untapped deep well in a desert land. This practice is the deep well King David drank from and offers us here. In Psalms 22, King David articulates, and models lament for us. The Psalms of Lament reminds Christians that, while our feelings are valid, what we feel does not always communicate the complete story. This ancient practice helped David to look, as it can help us:
1. Look down at the brokenness in our world.
2. Look up to God and grieve, and lastly.
3. Look forward to when the rightful King will bring true shalom.
We've considered what lament is, now let's discover what lament is not. Lament is not a practice of grievance but Godly grievance. Lament is not a silver bullet that entirely removes all pain or all one's grief in this life. However, lament will reveal that human sorrow is not a barrier but a bridge to connect us deeper with God. Lament is not about getting stuff but getting God and growing deeper with Him. The Psalter offers a minimum of four helps when practicing biblical lament, and they are as follows:
1. A prayer language to speak amid sorrow.
2. An invitation to come to God versus an indictment away from God.
3. A reminder to look to Jesus when your crisis seems larger than Christ.
4. A promise of God's Presence amidst our pain.
Unfathomable Peace
In Psalm 22, the writer points the reader beyond King David to King Jesus. Jesus's substitutionary death reminds believers that our darkest moments are never as dark as they should be. Christians find their peace in Jesus, whose a living person. I've discovered that the most profound grief comes from relationships or the lack thereof.
When I reflect on the loss of my sister, I'm encouraged that I can bring my grief to a person who cares deeply (1 Peter 5:7). When you experience pain, remind yourself that Jesus went through ultimate and unjust pain for us. When moments are dark, remember that Jesus went into the darkness of the grave for us, yet we are healed by his wounds (Isaiah 53). Lament frees us to complain and then prompts us to gaze at the resurrected Christ. Unfathomable peace is there, hidden in and with Jesus.
A final and pertinent question is, are you complaining to the right person? When you feel distraught, or your emotions begin to swell up with distrust or distaste towards God and His world, Psalms 22 should encourage us and if you're asking why; you need only to keep reading. While Psalms 22 shows us a suffering king, Psalms 24 displays the sovereign King. Smack between chapter 22 & 24 is Psalms 23, where we see this King as a sufferer, sovereign, and shepherd.
Why add lament to your arsenal? Simple, it is biblical and it is a resource given to help, not harm you. Further, this ancient practice equips and disciples’ believers to trust God. Friend, keep reading and keep reminding one another that lament is but a drawbridge that provides us access to our sovereign King, who shepherds us through His suffering and at once, He will rule and reign forever. May the practice of lament lead you across and down into the untapped deep well and deep waters where Christ is waiting to refresh your soul. The reward for persistently expressing our pain to God amidst unspeakable brokenness is a peculiar yet unfathomable peace. Friend, and in the end, we get God, not just His stuff.
