Peace in the WaitingPrimjer

Learning Lament

At the height of the pandemic, I grappled with renewed sorrow over those who didn’t know Jesus as we faced the constant threat of death on a global scale.

I also became deeply confused and frustrated because my God-given mission to go and make disciples felt extraordinarily difficult. My despair over my lost friends grew soul-crushing. Isolating. It did not reap hope. But then I realized that these negative emotions were never part of God’s original design. I certainly hadn’t read about confusion and frustration before the fall of man. In time, I learned to bring my pain before God in lament.

Lament is a concept we see throughout Scripture, such as in the Psalms and in the book of Job. In Romans 9:1-4, we see examples of lament over the spiritual condition of other people. As Paul writes in Romans 9:2, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” We long for our loved ones to experience salvation, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).

I want my loved ones to follow Him and to live for His glory. I want them to place their faith in Christ and be restored to our Father by His grace alone. I know that the desire I carry for the salvation of loved ones is inherently good.

Yet a wide expanse exists between this broken world and the new world to come. I grieve the difference between the good things I long for and the reality I observe. When this world does not live up to our expectations, it’s okay to mourn.

As we practice lament over unmet expectations and unfairness in any area of life, we should take care not to sink into self-pity. Our Father in heaven is eager to show us His gentle loving-kindness, to listen to our hurting hearts, and to fill us with steadfast hope.

Lord, thank You for the deep care You’ve given me for the lost. Please give me the strength to bring You my lament. Even as I experience the unfairness in the world, let me also experience Your merciful loving-kindness. Let my pain not keep me from You but instead keep me running to You. Amen.