Dark Clouds Deep Mercy: Review

Discovering the Grace of Lament

Sometimes, there are books that you grab, but every so often, there is a book that grabs you, and Dark Clouds Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament is such a book. Author Mark Vroegop opens with his journey which invites his readers to come face to face with a formidable foe called grief. Yet, his testimony is that he came out on the other side. Vroegop writes, “I began to see lament as a rich but untapped reservoir of God’s grace” (20).

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, lament is “crying out in grief.” Now, if grief is natural, then crying out is naturally sequential. But is that where the resources stop, to cry out merely? If you are not a Christian, know that it does not have to be, but if you are a Christian, the answer is a resounding NO.

Mark Vroegop definition of lament goes beyond Merriam-Webster's limited view. He defines it as "the honest cry of a hurting heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God's goodness" (26). In three small sections, Vroegop equips readers with four practical steps, empowering them to discover and appreciate the grace found in lament. His approach transforms lament from a theoretical concept to a tangible path of understanding and practice.

Lament may sound like a modern concept, but it has ancient roots. The title of the book, Dark Clouds Deep Mercy, and the practice of lament itself traces back to the Book of Lamentations. Furthermore, in his book Encountering God in the Psalms, Michael Travers highlights that one-third of the Psalms (150) are Psalms of Lament. This book masterfully presents a practical guide to lament and holds together fundamental truths, like the attributes of God.

I picked it up but why should you? 5 REASONS

1.     It will help you understand God more deeply, and the Scriptures better.

2.     It will help you see prayer as journey not something to be mastered.

3.     It provides thought provoking questions after each chapter.

4.     It will teach you how to pray.

5.     Its a short read.