“In my distress I called to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.”
Psalm 18:6
Disaster and terror are breaking out all over the globe. Hearing and seeing news of the dreadful acts of killing and kidnapping in the Middle East is awful and painful. Even if we don’t know someone personally affected by these acts, we’re feeling the cataclysmic grief and pain that is engulfing other men, women, and children.
Along with the destruction of communities by floods, fire, and earthquakes this year, we each have sorrows and loss of our own. How do we raise our heads up and go on?
God invites us to lament--to passionately express our grief and sorrow. “Lament is a profoundly spiritual act because grief and loss are just as sacred as trust and celebration,” writes Terra McDaniel. “It is freedom to express pain and allow Love into our sorrows with us. It metabolizes grief, honoring our experiences as beings with bodies, souls, and spirits.”
Lament is woven through Scripture, she explains, including practices of writing, singing, and otherwise enacting grief. “It’s visceral—smearing ashes, tearing fabric, crying aloud, letting tears flow. Such things have been forgotten or suppressed for too many people.”
Hopeful—that’s another element of God-embodied lamenting, McDaniel believes. Seek hope, as well as expression and release of your grief and pain, with God’s own Word. Try starting here:
Psalm 10
Psalm 13
Psalm 31
Psalm 90
- Read Scripture aloud.
- Vocalize (say, sing, whisper, cry) your own words of lament.
- Write a letter or psalm to God about what you’re feeling and why. Listen for how God responds.
How has God responded to you and given you hope? Share your experience so others see how God hears and cares for us.
Endurance: Nursing with Strength that Endures is a free downloadable Bible study series from NCF—more help to hold on and be strengthened. Find other Bible studies and spiritual growth resources on the NCF website.
