I have been reminded lately, through a number of conversations and situations around our congregation, of the reality of suffering that many of us are walking through. Interestingly, Peter tells those who follow Christ not to “be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you” (1 Peter 4:12), and so perhaps various experiences of pain we find ourselves in are to be expected. In light of that we need to be reminded of two categories from God’s word: lament and comfort.
To lament is to honestly express grief to the Lord about our struggles, whether it is grieving the loss of a loved one, enduring physical illness, or accepting an unexpected life situation. The Lord does not expect us to be robots in response to pain, just putting on a good face and gritting our teeth, acting like we’re okay. Rather, what we find in the scriptures is multiple examples of expressing lament. In fact, roughly one third of the psalms are laments, and there is even an entire book of the Bible called Lamentations. Learning to lament before the Lord is an important part of walking through seasons of struggle.
When we learn to lament to the Lord, comfort follows: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Mt. 5:4). This may sound paradoxical, until we remember that any attempt to find ultimate comfort in earthly things will eventually fall short. However, with the Lord there is the promise of true comfort; he is one who desires to comfort his people (Isaiah 40:1) and has given us the Holy Spirit as a comforter (John 14:26-27). So, the process of lament is necessary to help us arrive at the goal of lament, which is the comfort we receive from the Lord himself, who is with us always.
Whatever pain each of us may be walking through in this season, may we engage in the biblical practice of lament, honestly coming before the Lord in vulnerability and transparency. As we cultivate this into our day-to-day lives we will soon find that the Lord meets us and sustains us in a variety of ways, over and over again, as our Comforter.
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
Lamentations 3:19-25
Below are three songs we sing from time to time in our worship services that are good reminders of the Lord’s comforting presence with us at all times. Click on the links below to listen from our Spotify account.
Ben