By Angela Mackey
Unasked questions stuck in my throat, and what felt like a huge gulf opened between the God of all comfort and me.
I had experienced the loss of two pregnancies and my fallopian tubes.
My heart shattered. God seemed far off. He could have saved the babies and kept my tubes from rupturing, but he did not. In my silence, I felt abandoned and betrayed.
It wasn’t until I discovered the rhythm of lament that I began to find hope in the darkness. When I cried out to God, asking hard questions, I also started listening to him.
Through Psalm 42 and Lamentations 3, I discovered five ways lament can be a battle cry for hope.
1. Ask Questions of Your Emotions and Thoughts
In Psalm 42, the psalmist asks himself multiple times, “Why so downcast?” He is exploring the reason he feels so sad.
When we examine our emotions, we can discover what is bothering our souls. It provides us with words and questions we can ask God about our hopes, dreams, and circumstances.
It will also lead to other questions about what we are focusing on. Is it Jesus or our difficult season? Asking these questions helps us communicate with God in an honest way and helps us fix our eyes on Jesus.
2. Remember and Consider Difficult Times
The writer of Lamentations spends most of the book crying out about the horrific situation Israel is facing.
As he recounts the difficult situation, he is processing the pain God has led his chosen people through. Too often, we believers want to pass over the difficult times and only speak of victory or God’s nearness. We do not sit in the pain and sorrow long enough to process it.
Unprocessed pain will surface at some point. Allowing ourselves time to lament, remember, and ponder the hard things helps us to find a hope that lasts.
3. Recall God’s Character
In Lamentations 3:21 (ESV), the author writes, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.”
What does he recall? God’s character. That God’s love is steadfast and never ending. He remembers that God is not done working, but he gives new mercies every day.
As we cry out to God in lament, remembering God’s character and promises offers us a glimmer of hope in the darkness.
4. Decide to Hope in God
After the psalmist in Psalm 42 asks his soul why it is so sad, he gives his soul a charge: “Put your hope in God.”
Hope does not dawn simply because we choose to put our expectations on God. But deciding to desire him helps us discover where we misplaced our dreams. I discovered that I had placed my hope for happiness in thinking, If only those babies had implanted in my womb and not my tubes, I would be satisfied.
When our hearts begin to place our desire in anything other than God, lament helps us recalibrate our desires, reminding us that God is our portion and joy in life.
5. Praise God
The defiant cry of the psalmist in Psalm 42:5 and 11 (NIV) is “I will yet praise [God].”
Singing praise in difficult seasons is a battle cry for hope against the pain of this broken world. It reminds us of God’s goodness, the confidence of eternity with him, and he faithfully keeps promises even when we do not understand his ways.
Lifting praises to God in lament allows our questions to draw us to the heart of God.
May lament be our battle cry for hope in this dark world, helping us draw near to the Lord, processing our pain, knowing God intimately, and experiencing his magnificent nearness.
Angela Mackey is a speaker, podcaster, and author who encourages people to rethink their thinking, considering Scripture, so they may live transformed. A seeker of joy, Angela loves cheese, butter, and running.
