To lament is to express grief, sorrow, or pain in an open and heartfelt way. It is not something our modern American culture tolerates very well; we always hear that we should be strong and carry on without complaint. There certainly is a time and place for that. But lamentation has deep Biblical and Christian roots. The Psalms are full of lamentation – both as individuals and as a people, a communal statement of anguish. Perhaps the most well-known and profound example of lament is Psalm 22 which begins: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus utters that Psalm verse when he is dying on the Cross.
Lamentation is a way of being honest before God and before one another. It says that something is not right, out of joint, broken and painful – whether that is in our personal lives, in public life, in the tragedies of disaster. Lamentation lays bare our hearts and allows room for the healing light and presence of God to come within us and among us. To lament is a very faithful way to pray.
Lamentation is a way of being honest before God and before one another. It says that something is not right, out of joint, broken and painful – whether that is in our personal lives, in public life, in the tragedies of disaster. Lamentation lays bare our hearts and allows room for the healing light and presence of God to come within us and among us. To lament is a very faithful way to pray.
RSS Feed