Lament… another dimension of prayer

       Understanding Prayers Out of Pain    

• • We preach about pain, on pain….what about when you preach out of pain…

  • Can we still pray fervently for others and preach out of love when in pain or do we preach out of frustration, anger, selfishness, unbelief?

  • Does it seem that it is not until we get in pain and cry out, (whatever the battle may be) before we understand that the Lord gets into the battle with us?!!

Lamentation, or a prayer for help coming out of pain, is very common in the Bible. Over one third of the psalms are laments. Lament frequently occurs in the Book of Job: “Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?” (Job 3:11). The prophets likewise cry out to God, such as Jeremiah does: “Why is my pain continuous, my wound incurable…?” (15:18) and Habakkuk: “…my legs tremble beneath me. I await the day of distress that will come upon the people who attack us” (3:16).

One whole book, Lamentations, expresses the confusion and suffering felt after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

We find something similar in the New Testament as well. People who are afflicted cry out to Jesus for help. Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, shouts out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” (Mark 10:47).

Jesus himself laments to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me…” (Mark 14:36). In his agony on the cross, Jesus makes his own the words of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me…?”

Despite its wide-range presence in the Bible, we Christians have by and large lost touch with this dimension of prayer coming out of pain. More now than ever, it is something we need to recover.

What Is Lamentation?

When we feel blessed in life, when we experience goodness and wholeness, we turn to God in praise and thanksgiving. But what happens when we experience just the opposite? What happens when we are overcome by the presence of chaos, brokenness, suffering and death, or by a sudden sense of our human vulnerability,  as in the 911- terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania? And more currently, the lost of love ones as victims to Covid-19.

• When we hurt physically, we cry out in pain; when we hurt (inside) spiritually, we cry out in lament. Lamentation can be described as a loud soul’s cry  “Oooooh, …I’m hurting so bad (inside)!” 

• Prayer addressed to God

To begin with, the laments we find in Scripture are addressed directly to God: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice!” (Psalm 130:1) and “My soul, too, is utterly terrified; but you, O Lord, how long…?” (Psalm 6:4).

In more modern terms we might say, … We take our cries directly to the top. God, however, seems very far away, “O my God, I cry out by day, and you answer not; by night, and there is no relief for me” (Psalm 22:3).

We ask heartfelt questions: “How long, O Lord? Will you utterly forget me?” (Psalm 13:2), which implies: I am at the end of my rope, and I cannot hold on much longer; and, “Why, O Lord, do you stand aloof? Why hide in times of distress?” (Psalm 10:1), which implies: “I do not understand what is going on; this makes no sense. How long? Why?” These are not requests for information, but cries of pain.

The afflictions of the speaker(s) are described in broad, stereotyped ways with which all sufferers can identify: sickness—”…heal me, O Lord, for my body is in terror” (Psalm 6:3); loneliness and alienation—”My friends and my companions stand back because of my affliction…” (Psalm 38:12); danger and mistreatment by others—”O Lord,… save me from all my pursuers” (Psalm 7:2) and even aging—”Cast me not off in my old age…” (Psalm 71:9).

Finally, the ultimate affliction is physical death—”For my soul is surfeited with troubles and my life draws near to the nether world” (Psalm 88:4). All of these are manifestations of the realm of chaos and of brokenness invading and pulling on our lives.

The Role of Enemies

Lamentations often speak of enemies. At times these are enemies from outside the community, also known as “foreigners” or “the nations”: “O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple” – (Psalm 79:1).

At other times, it is an enemy from within who schemes and plots against us: “I hear the whispers of the crowd…as they consult together against me” (Psalm 31:14).

On more than one occasion, the psalmist suggests to God things to do to these enemies, which are known as the so-called “cursing psalms”: or (imprecatory prayers) “So now, deliver their children to famine, do away with them by the sword….May cries be heard from their homes” (Jeremiah 18:21-22); “All my enemies shall be put to shame in utter terror” (Psalm 6:11); “Happy the man who shall repay you the evil you have done us! Happy the man who shall seize and smash your little ones against the rock!” (Psalm 137:8-9). 

• It is fairly obvious that as Christians we are not all that comfortable in speaking our pains, our doubts and our anger before God. Lament leaves us more than a little uneasy.

At times, we do experience God’s absence; we do feel alone and confused, and we doubt. 

Even Apostle Paul tells us he was “perplexed, but not driven to despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8). In despair we give up on our relationship with God.  Doubt, on the other hand, is a sign that our faith is alive and kicking; it is part of the rhythm of faith itself.

• • Lament is not a failure of faith, but an act of faith. We cry out directly to God because deep down we know that our relationship with God counts; it counts to us and it counts to God.

  • Lament teaches us that there are indeed things we do not understand; in fact, we cannot understand.

Lament would be appropriate: after a painful experience of divorce; in a religious community after dear members choose to leave; when those serving in missions and evangelism depart for home after service in a foreign country; for victims of clergy abuse; in a neighborhood taken over by violence, racism and injustice; in a community hard hit by HIV, AIDS or a PANDEMIC; in a community devastated by natural disaster (fire, flood, earthquake, tornado, hurricane); for a person after the experience of rape. Or when terrorists attack a country and many lives are lost.

To help us discern, what is a good and proper response to any situation… here are some suggested prayers: 

Cry to God

1. “Rise up, judge of the earth; render their deserts to the proud. How long, O Lord, shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked glory,…” – Ps. 94:2-4   

Personal Affliction

2. “Look toward me, and have pity on me, for I am alone and afflicted. 
Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress. 
Put an end to my affliction and my suffering,  and take away all my sins. 
Behold, my enemies are many, and they hate me violently. 
Preserve my life, and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. – (Psalm 25:16-20)

Trust in God

3. “Oh, that we might see better times!” 
O Lord, let the light of your countenance shine upon us! 
You put gladness into my heart, more than when grain and wine abound. 
As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep,  for you alone, O Lord, bring security to my dwelling. – (Psalm 4:7-9)