“Lord, you rule forever. Your throne will last for all time to come.
Why do you always forget us?
Why have you deserted us for so long?
Lord, please bring us back to you. Then we can return.
Make our lives like new again. Or have you completely turned away from us?
Are you really that angry with us?”
Lamentations 5:19-22
North America has had few interruptions to its progress since WWII, and there seemed to be nothing we couldn’t fix. But Covid-19 dealt a blow to all of us. And maybe it’s time to lament about the things lost and suffering experienced over these past few years. Perhaps it is time to go before God with a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.
Many of us experienced suffering before the pandemic; however, the COVID-infused isolation, depression, loneliness, and all kinds of challenging trials seemed new. We spent months disconnected from corporate worship, the encouragement of one another, and the essential ministries and sacraments the church provides. As time progressed, discouragement, depression, despair, and fear hit many to the point where their strength waned.
Lament is not simply complaining. Lament is expressing our genuine anguish and pain to our Sovereign King and finding hope and comfort in the truths of His faithful character and promises. Lament recognizes that God enters our pain, is with us in our trials, and meets us with His unchangeable nature. Lament helps us acknowledge our suffering, not pretend, or deny our trouble. Lament concedes that life is challenging but helps us cast our eyes beyond our pain to our eternal hope and reward.
A lament is a form of praise and prayer to draw close to God in times of great suffering and pain. It is an essential part of the human experience! Just as Christians ought to come before God with songs of thanksgiving and praise, we should go before God with Lament.
“Lord, please bring us back to you. Then we can return. Make our lives like new again.”
see “How do we Lament” for more