On Suffering and Lament

A lament is an expression of sorrow or mourning, and it is written or sung BEFORE deliverance and in the MIDST of suffering. Scripture is filled with them (and an entire book of the Bible, Lamentations, is named for them). An article in the blogosphere today got me thinking on this subject. I have noted that many of us in Christian circles are quite uncomfortable with lament. I have had my own times in life (where things were going smoothly for me) that others' laments were seen as a lack of faith. But I like to think I've matured a bit since then. I have suffered. Certainly not as bad as some, but bad enough. I have dwelled in dark places where God was silent for a time. And I have had others treat my laments as lack of faith.

In the Gospel of Ruth by Carolyn James, she recounts the loss of her brother in law in a climbing accident on Mt. Hood this last year. He was able to call his wife with his cell phone from an ice cave near the summitt. He was able to summon help! He was alive. But a storm blew in. And Carolyn James' husband sat at the foot of the mountain waiting helplessly with the rescue workers while his brother froze to death.

There was no deliverance. Only suffering. The sovereign Lord of the Universe, who is well able to command the storm and calm the sea, did not calm this storm over Mt. Hood in Oregon on this fateful day (actually I think the storm lasted over a week). Perhaps you are now thinking of hopeful spiritual answers. But if you were waiting on your brother to die as you were helpless to rescue him, what would your words be to God? Most of us would choose silence. Stony, cold silence. But in Scripture, the better choice is lament.

Psalm 73 is one of my favorite Psalms. It ends with such great truth and hope. So when you read on into Psalm 74, the contrast is striking. Consider this lament.

Psalm 74
1 Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed—Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary....
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
8 They said in their hearts, "We will crush them completely!" They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
12 But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth....
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O LORD, how foolish people have reviled your name.
19 Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name.
22 Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.
23 Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.

I like how, in verses 12-17, the Psalmist speaks truth to himself and God in the midst of this lament. But verse 9 really gets me--we are given no miraculous signs, no prophets are left, and we don't know for how long.

It is in these laments that faith is tested and forged. I praise God that, instead of condemning me for my utterances of sorrow, mourning, and confusion, He welcomes them, giving us a model in His inspired Word of how to speak truth to ourselves even as we honestly cry out "HOW LONG, O LORD?!"