Upside Down - Kingdom LivingSample

"Learning to Lament"

David cries out to the Lord in Psalm 86 as a man undone. (I am poor and needy.) It is hard to be needy. It is vulnerable and it feels weak. Asking forgiveness puts us at the mercy of others.

We hesitate examining our own heart for fear of what we see in there. We are tempted to underestimate our sin or compare our shortcomings to others. But there is a beautiful reckoning with God when we come to him undone. We are not informing Him of anything He does not already know. We are simply showing Him we know of our sin and we lament that we chose a way other than God’s way.

It is not until we learn to lament that we learn to live in forgiveness. David spent more of his prayer in proclaiming God’s mercy than in revealing his own sinfulness. A true lament, like a true apology, does not qualify the lament. It does not lay out the extenuating circumstances – it does not need to because God loves to be merciful. When we explain to God that our sin is not that great, it does not free our heart to live in His full forgiveness. Lamenting leads to freedom and freedom leads to joy.

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Reflections:
1. Why is it so hard to come clean to God when we know of His love and mercy?
2. Have you been “qualifying” your sins to yourself and to God?