Lament: The Forgotten Language of the Soul
A few years ago, sometime after midnight, I found myself sitting on the floor of my living room, staring at an unopened Bible. The quiet was too loud, my heart too heavy. I was tired of pretending to be okay. The grief I’d buried for months threatened to break me. I wanted to pray, but I couldn’t find the words. All I could think was,” Where are You, God?”
The next day, I hesitantly told a friend about my struggle to pray. My friend simply replied, “Have you ever tried lament?”
Lament? Wasn’t that just an old-fashioned word for whining or despair? My friend explained it differently. “Lament is more than crying out. It’s a sacred way to bring your pain to God without losing sight of hope.”
The next morning, I opened my Bible to the Psalms. To my surprise, I found words that mirrored my emotions. Psalm 13 read, ‘How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?’ The rawness of David’s words startled me, but they also gave me permission to voice my own. I realized lament wasn’t about questioning God’s goodness. It was about trusting Him enough to bring Him my deepest pain.
For the first time, I spoke out loud: “God, I feel like You’ve forgotten me.” The words came haltingly at first, but then they poured out. My tears fell as I asked my questions, voiced my sorrow, and even confessed my anger. But by the end, I found myself saying, “Still, I will trust You.”
That moment didn’t erase my pain. But it did change me. I realized lament wasn’t just an expression of sorrow, it was an act of faith. It was a bridge between my pain and God’s promises.
Lament is a gift often overlooked in our modern world, but it’s woven into the fabric of Scripture. Over a third of the Psalms are laments. The book of Lamentations stands as a testament to a people’s cries in the midst of devastation. Even Jesus Himself lamented from the cross when He cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
So why do we hesitate to embrace this practice? Maybe we’ve been taught to keep our struggles to ourselves, fearing they might reflect a lack of faith. Or maybe we don’t know where to start.
That’s why we wrote Lament: The Forgotten Language of the Soul, to help people like me (and you) discover the profound depth of lament as a biblical practice. In it, you’ll find a guide to understanding lament, practical steps for incorporating it into your life, and encouragement to embrace this lost profound practice.
Because here’s the truth: God is not afraid of your pain. He invites you to bring it to Him, not to stay stuck in it, but to find healing and hope through it.
If you’ve ever felt like me, staring at an unopened Bible, unsure how to begin, know that you’re not alone. Lament is your invitation to meet God in the depths and let Him lead you back to hope.
Download the Lament Ultimate Guide Book here.
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