To lament, we:

Call on God. We address Him in a way that is authentic to us.

The practice of lament consists of five key components that allow us to invite God into our deep pain and anguish. The very first is one that seems so simple but is truly imperative to the process of inviting God in. The very first thing we need to do is to call on God.

I imagine that my four-year-old son calls my name more than 100 times a day.

“Mommy, can you help me?”

"Mommy, I want that one.”

“Mommy, can I have more?”

He calls on me because he needs my help, He needs my support, and he wants me to be his source of help. Who we call on when we’re in the deep distress that trauma, anxiety, and depression causes us reveals who we believe will help us. It speaks to who we believe has the power to change our situation, who we have put our hope in. My son has called my name so many times, he even calls on me when he needs nothing at all, hoping that I’m nearby just so he can feel at ease.

We don’t call on God to simply address Him. We call on Him because we know He will listen. We call on Him because we know He cares for us. We call on Him because our hope is in Him. We call on Him to remind our weary and worn souls that we are not alone. We call on Him to remind ourselves that there is someone who delights in us when we don’t delight in ourselves.

His name is a prophecy of hope, a reminder of the riches we have even in the poverty of our souls. In Him we have a God who sees us. One who can bear the weight of our anger, sadness, and dark experiences. A God who is our banner, covering us when we’ve been left uncovered. We have a God who leads us as a shepherd leads his flock. He is the God who is ever present, one who gives us His righteousness as a gift in our brokenness, one who transforms us, one who provides for us and fights for us. He is our peace when we have none of our own.

The Israelites, in their despair and hope, called Him by many names:

El Shaddai - God Almighty

Adonai - Lord. Master

Jehovah Nissi - The Lord My Banner

Jehovah Raah - The Lord My Shepherd

Jehovah Shammah - The Lord Who is Present

Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness

Jehovah Mekoddishkem - The Lord Who Sanctifies You

El Olam - The Everlasting God

Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will provide

Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is Peace

Jehovah Sabaoth - The God of Angel Armies

Application: Take a moment of vulnerability and call on God. Call Him by the name that most resonates with the need you have in your pain.

Take one of these names listed and fill in this blank: "_________, You are here."

Place your hand over your heart. Close your eyes and repeat that sentence to yourself whenever feelings of anxiety, depression, grief, rage, confusion, loneliness, regret, shame, or guilt arise.