Lament Explored: Part II: What does Lament do?

Note:  This is Part II of my 5-Part exploration of Lament.  Use the link below to read my previous post.  

Part I:  What is Lament?

Part II: What does Lament do?

Part III: Lament Contrasted

Part IV:  Trust Born From Lament

Part V: How to Lament

Part II:  What does Lament do?

“Lament can tune your heart to seek more than just the removal of pain.  It invites us to say ‘remember, O LORD,’ ‘you reign,’ and ‘restore us.’  And in our asking for God to deliver us, it can also lead us to the greatest need of all: our need to be right with God” (Vroegop, p.150).

Thanks for continuing this lament journey with me.  It is my prayer that these truths become a balm to your soul as you walk your own journey in lament.

Continuing in Dark Clouds Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, Mark Vroegop tells us many things that lament does:

Lament…

• “keeps us turning toward trust by giving us language to step into the wilderness between our painful reality and our hopeful longings” (Vroegop, p.77).
• “calls us to point our hearts Godward by rejoicing in God’s grace…Entering lament leads to rejoicing” (Vroegop, p.81).
• “creates a path through the messy wilderness of pain” (Vroegop, p.84).
• “can provide mercy when dark clouds loom” (Vroegop, p.84).
• “pivot[s] on God’s promises” (Vroegop, p.85).
• “can be a prism through which we see a path for growth” (Vroegop, p.90).
• “tunes the heart so it can sing about trust” (Vroegop, p.83).
• “can retune our hearts to what’s really important.  It can invite us to consider what lies underneath our lives—what really matters” (Vroegop, p.92).
• “invite[s] us to consider lessons emerging from the rubble” (Vroegop, p.100).
• “gives you eyes to see the brokenness around you” (Vroegop, p.103).
• “can awaken our souls from apathy.  It can help us as we intentionally mourn the devastating effects of sin in our lives and the world” (Vroegop, p.103).
• “can be a welcome wake-up call—a memorial—to the brokenness of the world and the holiness of God” (Vroegop, p.104).
• “has the potential to turn our hearts Godward as wee sing in a minor key about our individual and corporate need for God’s mercy” (Vroegop, p.104).
• “reminds us that the problem with the world is sin, and God is the only one who can make it right” (Vroegop, p.104).
• “dares to hope while life is hard” (Vroegop, p.110).
• “can help you by rehearsing the truth of the Bible—to preach to your heart, to interpret pain through the lens of God’s character and ultimate mercy” (Vroegop, p.111).
• “helps us to dare to hope again, and again, and again” (Vroegop, p.112).
• “can turn our hearts toward a future victory.  Through tears, we can still believe that the final word has not been spoken” (Vroegop, p.117).
• “can remind us that pain has a purpose” (Vroegop, p.118).
• “penetrates the vault of our self-sufficiency and shows us the spiritual bankruptcy of trusting in financial security” (Vroegop, p.127).
• “calls us to not ignore the cries of our culture” (Vroegop, p.132).
• “shows us how to think and what to pray when our idols become clear” (Vroegop, p.137).
• “identifies the way back to God and even the gospel itself.  Lament can be a road map to God’s grace” (Vroegop, p.140).
• “affirms God’s sovereignty when dark clouds linger” (Vroegop, p.147).
• “brings comfort to the mourning bench by refusing to pretend ‘everything’s fine’ or to remain distant.  Lament sits close” (Vroegop, p.162).
• “provides a helpful structure for a hurting person to process pain and feelings” (Vroegop, p.165).
• “helps us find the balance between an appropriate desire for justice and the command to be merciful while having a forgiving spirit” (Vroegop, p.167).
• “gives us a language for godly sorrow and a reason to hope again” (Vroegop, p.168).
• “can shine the light on what we need to confess.  It can remind us how much we need God’s grace” (Vroegop, p.169).
• “can provide language to express the depth of sorrow while leading us to hope, praise, and trust” (Vroegop, p.178).
• “has the potential to provide a first step toward uniting people when hurt and misunderstanding are in the air” (Vroegop, p.184).
• “can be the language we use to weep with those who weep” (Vroegop, p.185).
• “tunes our heart to truths undergirding our lives and the world in which we live…Lament is how we tunnel our way to truth” (Vroegop, p.190).
• “gives us hope because it gives us a glimpse of the truth” (Vroegop, p.192).
• “vocalizes a desire for justice that is unfulfilled” (Vroegop, p.193).
• “allows us to hear the brokenness around us, weep with those who weep, and walk with them on the long road of sorrow” (Vroegop, p.194).

 Lament also helps us to realize that we do not belong to this world and helps expose the depths of our own sin:

“Lamenting the toppling of our cultural idols can reorient Christian exiles as to what King and what kingdom we were supposed to long for” (Vroegop, p.136).

“Practicing lament can facilitate personal confession and a greater sensitivity to sin” (Vroegop, p.168).

I have deeply felt the truth of this final statement these past few months:

“When God strips you of everything, and all you have is him, you have enough.  Therefore, lament can awaken you to the truth of God’s hesed [God’s covenant love for His people].  It can remind you that God is everything you really need” (Vroegop, p.113).