Engaging in Lament

By: Amy and Barry Rager

This season is difficult.  Death abounds. Our leaders are forced to choose between loss of life and loss of economic stability.  More names are added to the already egregious roll of black men and women lynched by hate-filled individuals.  Each day there seems to be a reminder that the kingdom is already but definitely not yet. We grow weary of waiting.  What do we do with the desperation welling up inside? 

We truly believe that lament is part of the answer.  A form of worship that involves crying out to God authentically, lament honors the gut-wrenching emotions that being a human in a fallen world often elicits.  God is our Father. He does not want us to suppress these feelings or grow numb. He wants us to come to him, find intimacy, and ultimately trust him. After all, he is mourning too.

Below are two laments.  The first is a series of psalms Barry put together to find a voice for his thoughts.  The second is a modified lament from Sojourn Community Church specific to racism and the murder of our black brothers and sisters.  We hope these laments can offer you some solace in this difficult time.

A Lament for a Hard Season
(Psalm 42:5; Psalm 13:1-2; Psalm 25:16-20; Psalm 4:6-8)

A Lament of Tragic Deaths and Evil 
(Loosely adapted from Corporate Lament by Sojourn Community Church.)

Additional Information

• If lament feels very strange to you, you can find out more about lament here.