Good Grief Part 5: Learning to Lament Your Sinናሙና

TRUST THE TRUTH

After David turned toward God, confessed his sin, and acknowledged that God designed a better way for him to live, David started making his requests. His lament asked God to take several specific actions – purge, hide, create, restore, deliver, open… Notice that each of these requests is paired with a faith-filled expectation. He is confident that if God purges or cleanses him, he will be clean. If God hides His face from his sins, David’s iniquities will be blotted out or forgotten.

In this, we see a model of trust. David wasn’t just making desperate pleas; He was identifying what he needed and trusting those things to God. He knew that God has the power and authority to grant these requests and was simultaneously convinced that God wanted the best for him. Seeking God for help would be fruitless if he didn’t trust these essential truths.

The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke chapter 15 gives an illustration meant to build our faith in these same truths. After the son had squandered everything he had, he was able to recognize and acknowledge what he truly needed. He knew that his father had the ability and resources to provide these things and so he headed back home. As he humbly returned, he learned that his father was not only willing and able to satisfy his basic needs but that he wanted even more to celebrate their reunion. The prodigal’s fallen state became a pathway toward joy and restoration.

As we continue to practice Biblical lament, trusting God with our pain is critical. Trusting that he can handle it, that He can speak into it, that He can deliver us through it. All of it. But even more, trusting that He wants to fully restore us and that He will.

Ask Yourself:

-Reflecting on the list of David’s requests, what observations can you make about the types of things he asks for?

-Given the circumstances of his lament, what else might you have expected him to ask of God?

-What can you learn by contrasting the things he included and those he did not?

Pause to Pray: Father God, I worship you today as Jehovah Jireh – you are my provider. As I come to you with my needs, increase my faith that you are able and willing to act on my behalf. Help me to walk confidently through this time of transformation, knowing that you want what is best for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Living Lament: Ask God to search your heart today, to help you see any areas where you doubt his ability or willingness to act on your behalf. Journal through what He shows you.