Sacred Sorrows: When in Doubt, Lament (Essay #003)

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Essay Excerpt:

There is a kind of grief that does not simply pass; it takes root in the soul, embedding itself in the quiet spaces of our lives. It lingers in unanswered prayers, prolonged seasons of divine silence, and the tension between suffering and faith. The modern American church often struggles to acknowledge this depth of sorrow, preferring narratives of triumph, perseverance, and unwavering hope. Yet, scripture presents a more nuanced view: one in which grief and faith are not opposing forces but intimately connected.

In my essay, Navigating the Seasons of Life with God, I explored the cyclical nature of faith, recognizing that some seasons are filled with joy and clarity, while others bring hardship and uncertainty. However, I did not fully examine the practice of lamentation, which is a vital, though often overlooked, spiritual discipline. Lamentation is not merely an expression of sorrow; it is a theological response to suffering, an act of faith that refuses to let go of God even in the darkest moments.

This essay will explore the biblical foundation of lamenting to God: its necessity, its structure, and its transformative power in the life of a believer. True lamentation does not simply vent emotions; it engages with God, creating space for both grief and trust to coexist.

Read the full essay:

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Blasphemer's Redemption, a substack publication where I wrestle with theology,

(00:06):
spiritual growth, and the human experience through the lens of the Christian faith.
I'm Will, and this podcast is where I bring my essays to life,
narrating reflections on scripture, doubt, and the tensions that shape our walk with Christ.
Writing has always been my way of processing what I'm learning,

(00:28):
of organizing the thoughts that stir within me. But more than that, I believe these reflections
aren't just for me. My hope is that they challenge, encourage, and edify you as you
navigate your own faith journey, as they have for me.

(00:50):
In this episode, I'll be narrating my essay,
Sacred Sorrows, When in Doubt Lament. If you'd like to read along with me,
or explore more of my writing, you can find everything at redeemedblasphemy.substack.com.

(01:11):
There is a kind of grief that does not simply pass.
It takes root in the soul, embedding itself in the quiet spaces of our lives.
It lingers in unanswered prayers, in prolonged seasons of divine silence,
in the tension between suffering and faith.
The modern American church often struggles to acknowledge this depth of sorrow,

(01:35):
preferring narratives of triumph, perseverance, and unwavering hope.
Yet, scripture presents a more nuanced view, one in which grief and faith
are not opposing forces, but intimately connected.
In my essay, Navigating the Seasons of Life with God, I explored the cyclical nature of

(01:59):
recognizing that some seasons are filled with joy and clarity, while others bring hardship and
uncertainty. However, I did not fully examine the practice of lamentation, which is a vital,
though often overlooked, spiritual discipline. Lamentation is not merely an expression of sorrow.

(02:22):
It is a theological response to suffering, as an act of faith that refuses to let go of God,
even in the darkest moments. This essay will explore the biblical foundation of lamenting to God,
its necessity, its structure, and its transformative power in the life of the believer.

(02:44):
True lamentation does not simply vent emotions. It engages with God, creating space for both grief
and trust to coexist. Lamentation is an unfiltered form of prayer, one that refuses to smooth over
pain with premature hope. It is the language of those who trust God enough to bring their deepest

(03:09):
wounds before Him. Scripture is saturated with lamenting, from Job's cries of affliction,
to David's psalms of desperation, to Jesus's anguish on the cross. To lament is not to abandon
faith, but to engage with it fully in the face of suffering. The Book of Lamentations stands out

(03:34):
as one of the most profound biblical witnesses to the power of this form of prayer.
Written in the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction, it captures the raw grief of a
people who feel utterly forsaken. The poet cries out, He has filled me with bitterness.

(03:57):
He has sated me with warm wood. He has made my teeth grind on gravel and made me cower in ashes.
My soul is bereft of peace. I have forgotten what happiness is. Lamentations chapter 3 verse
15 through 17. Yet, even in this place of devastation, the poet comes back and offers

(04:24):
a pivotal moment of hope. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast
love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning,
great is your faithfulness. Verses 21 through 23.

(04:50):
The tension between despair and trust is at the heart of biblical lamenting.
The poet does not ignore suffering, nor does he deny God's faithfulness. Instead,
he holds both in hand, refusing to let grief have the final word. The Psalms provide numerous

(05:13):
examples of proper lamenting, including the raw desperation of Psalm chapter 13 verses 1 through 2.
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?

(05:40):
David's prayer is striking in its honesty. He does not temper his frustration or attempt
to rationalize God's silence. Yet, he does not turn away from God either. He turns toward
him. This is the heart of a biblical lament, an open expression of suffering that ultimately

(06:04):
leads back to trusting in God. Even with the same Psalm, David's posture shifts in verses 5 through 6.
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.

(06:29):
This transition is not a resolution. It is a choice. David's circumstances have not changed,
but his focus has. He remembers God's faithfulness, even in the absence of immediate relief.
True lamentations do not negate suffering, but they anchor the believer in divine reality.

(06:58):
I remember the first time I truly lamented to God in its fullest form. Alone in my room,
weighed down by heartbreak, I felt utterly forsaken. I was in a state of deep despair.
My prayers had been met with silence, and I could not reconcile my faith with the depth of my pain.

(07:25):
And then I broke. Amongst many other things, I started screaming out,
How could you let this happen, God? How could you forsake me?
The words came unbidden, raw, and unrestrained. For the first time, I was not merely praying.
I was pleading, wrestling, crying out from the depths of my soul. And amid my anguish,

(07:52):
I felt an unexpected urge to read Scripture, specifically Ecclesiastes 3.
I had never given much thought to Ecclesiastes, but the prompting was so insistent that I could
not ignore it. Why would I be thinking of Ecclesiastes 3 if not for God?

(08:14):
I opened my Bible and read, For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven, A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal.

(08:35):
A time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to lash.
A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together.
A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.

(08:57):
Ecclesiastes 3 verses 1 through 8
I froze. At that moment, I knew God had heard me.
My suffering was not outside of His sovereign plan. No, God did not cause my suffering,
But my heartbreak was neither meaningless nor unseen. God was there and He saw me.

(09:25):
God did not erase my pain, but He met me in it. As I wrote in my last essay,
Lamentations are not wasted. Few moments in Scripture encapsulate the sincerity of a lament
like Jesus' cry from the cross. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

(09:48):
Matthew chapter 27 verse 46 These words, originally drawn from Psalm 22,
express more than agony. They reveal the theological depth of Christ's suffering.
In this moment, He does not merely endure physical torment, but He does not merely endure
physical torment. He bears the full weight of human sin, experiencing for the first time

(10:16):
true separation from the Father. This is a lament offered in its most profound form,
an innocent suffering on behalf of the guilty.
Yet, Jesus' cry is not one of hopelessness. By quoting Psalm 22, He directs our attention

(10:37):
to its full trajectory. Though the Psalm begins in despair, it ends in triumph.
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you. Verse 27 Even in His darkest moment, Jesus' lament points beyond

(11:03):
suffering to redemption. This is the essence of a biblical lament. The practice does not deny pain,
but it refuses to surrender to it. Lamenting acknowledges suffering, while holding fast to
the promise that God hears, God is present, and suffering will not have the final word.

(11:25):
In me you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome
the world. John 16.33
God does not require us to approach Him with our wounds already mended. He invites us to bring our
sorrow, our questions, and even our anger into His presence. Lamentations are the most important

(11:54):
of all. Lamentations are not a failure of faith, but an act of trust. These prayers are the
determination to seek God even when He seems silent. This is the faith modeled throughout
Scripture. Job, who never ceased speaking to God despite his suffering, David, who turned his agony

(12:18):
into prayer, and Christ, who lamented yet remained faithful to the Father. This is the hope of the
Gospel. We do not lament in vain. Christ has come, Christ has suffered, Christ has risen.
Because of this, we are assured that every tear we shed is seen, every cry of sorrow is heard,

(12:45):
and one day God Himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Until that day we lament,
we lament, not as those without hope, but as those who know that redemption is coming.

(13:15):
That concludes this episode of Blasphemer's Redemption. Thank you for listening. If you
found this reflection meaningful, I invite you to explore more of my writing at redeemedblasphemy.substack.com,

(13:39):
where you can also subscribe for future essays. May these words encourage you in your own journey of faith.