The Gift of Lament: Grieving with Gospel Hope

In Christ, lamenting is not empty grief.

“To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; Light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me” (Psalm 13:1-6).

Photo by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash

Like many Psalms of Lament, Psalm 13 is dear to my heart. David’s words resonate deeply with the suffering soul - putting words to often inexpressible pain. Over the past year, I have prayed and written many prayers of Lament. It may sound paradoxical, but God the Holy Spirit has used lament to rescue me from despair and solidify my Hope in God. However, lament seems to be a forgotten or feared practice in the church today.

The Blessing of Lament

Lament is a form of prayer in which we turn to God to (1) express our suffering and (2) ask for deliverance and relief. This deliverance may be physical, spiritual, or emotional. Often, we simply long to know that God has not abandoned us. Far from being an act of self-pity or rebellion, lament is a bold declaration of trust in God. It acknowledges our pain while affirming God’s sovereignty. It is a God-honoring way to respond to suffering.

Consider how God has designed us to respond to pain: we cry. This is no accident. Crying releases endorphins, offering a measure of physical relief. This is God’s common grace to all. But for the Christian, lamenting goes deeper.

First, the lamenting Christian does not pretend that all is well when the soul is in agony. We recognize the reality and true origins of suffering —both physically and spiritually. Since the Fall, death, evil, and suffering have become part of our individual and collective human experience. Even within ourselves, we carry sinful natures that constantly rebel against God’s good order and design.

Gospel Lament

At the same time, by faith, we have the eternal and ultimate solution to suffering—Jesus Christ. No matter how deep our sorrow, we can never be hopeless - even when it feels like we are. Our hope remains steadfast because it is not rooted in ourselves but in a transcendent, sinless, eternal Savior.

He Himself suffered. In his flesh, he remained completely unstained by sin and the Fall. He endured suffering beyond what we can comprehend. He faced the full force of temptation because he never gave in. He lived in perfect obedience to the Father, bore our sins, and triumphed over death through his resurrection. He holds the keys of life and death forever. This Jesus – he is the only true Hope in life and death. And he is bringing about a time when death, pain, sorrow, suffering, and evil will no longer exist.

For Christians, lamenting is not empty grief. Our prayers are not mere cries into the void but heartfelt petitions to our Father who sees, hears, and cares. The same One that did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Lament enables us to grieve without falling into despair because we trust that our ultimate deliverance is already secured through Jesus Christ. As we bring our petitions, we trust in a generous and gracious God who desires to give us good things.

So, my friend, if your heart is heavy today, lament. Lament is not about presenting a polished version of our emotions to God. He desires our honesty. Grief is often messy, unpredictable, and overwhelming. Yet, even in the rawness of pain, let’s remember to intentionally nourish our hearts and minds with Gospel truth. We may not ‘feel it working’ but God’s Word is more powerful than we know. It will surely bear fruit in due time. Others will see and be blessed by it.

This devotional was originally published on Beholding God with Aymone and is used here with permission.