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The past two weeks we have developed an understanding of the language of biblical lament. Through this prayer we have learned to express our griefs directly to God and searched His character for the gifts he offers as a healing balm to our aching hearts. We have learned that mourning rightly is a rare skill in the modern church but one that is desperately needed and imperative to our spiritual growth.
We have allowed this prayer language to dig deep into our lives and reveal the temporal things we have been clinging to that take precedent over the Lord. We discussed that the root of all idolatry is the rejection of God’s goodness and of His moral authority. “The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting Himself for man.” Lament helps us to recognize the idols we have hidden in our hearts when suffering hits and through emotive prayers we wrestled them out with the Spirit working in and through us. He alone is worthy to be praised.
Lament requires a deep knowledge of God, the world and ourselves. It is intentional and hard work. But that effort is always worth it and we do not do it alone!
“If your faith rests in your idea of how God is suppose to answer your prayers, your idea of heaven here on earth, or pie in the sky, or whatever, then that kind of faith is very shaky and is bound to be demolished when the storms of life hit it. But if your faith rests on the character of Him who is the eternal- I AM, then that kind of faith is rugged and will endure.” (E Elliot)
Today we end this series by allowing our suffering to turn to the mission of lament and the praise that follows.
“Lord give us eyes to see the brokenness around us!”
Purpose of the Church:
The church is called to display the divine rule (as imagers) on the earth and proclaim the gospel (good news) of the kingdom to the world, to the end that God would be glorified as unbelieving people repent and believe, thereby entering the kingdom and multiplying the divine image on the earth (be fruitful and multiply). (MA notes)
The idea of mission goes all the way back to the garden of Eden when the Lord sets into motion the plan of redemption for humanity after we chose other than Him. As we walk through the meta narrative of scripture we see his missional blueprint unfold. Christopher Wright, in The Mission of God, defines ‘mission’ this way, “Fundamentally, our mission (if biblically informed and validated) means our committed participation as God’s people, at God’s invitation and command, in God’s own mission within the history of God’s world for the redemption of God’s creation. The Bible presents to us a portrait of God that is unquestionably purposeful.”
1 Kings 8:60-61 “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God;
there is no other.
61 Let your heart [Israel] therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God,
walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”
Prayers and books of lament are scattered throughout this redemption plan; His story. There is purpose to take notice within these sections that the Western Church tends to speed-read through. The uncomfortable and challenging parts of scripture are meant to be slowly absorbed and assimilated into our lives and our daily practices. ** We cannot ignore these and understand God’s plan in totality.
Suffering, wisely born through lament, can yield meaning but it wins little applause in the Western culture. In the end we know that it is not our circumstances or even the pain that has the final word. The end result will prove worth the cost.
Philippians 3:14 “ I press on toward the goal to win the
[supreme and heavenly] prize
to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.”
He is All, He is good and He is for our good. Our suffering well is a cosmic witness to the world of these truths.
We know that all of our prayers pass from our mouths to Christ’s ear and out of Christ’s mouth to the Father’s ear.
1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men,
the Man Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
Lament in the Bible is not simply an outlet for our frustrations. Though venting may be proven to be beneficial in and of itself, a lament is a form of prayer. And prayer is not passive. Many of the laments in the psalms are calls to action. They plead with God to pay attention to them and to act on their behalf.
In fact, many Old Testament scholars identify “petition” as an essential element of a lament psalm. For example, the Hebrew word for “hear”, shema, appears 79 times as the psalmist implores God to listen attentively to their cry. The psalmist appeals to God’s character and covenant and asks for His attention and action.
The New Testament takes us further. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray (The Lord’s prayer), He wasn’t giving them something to pass the time. He was inviting them to participate in the arrival of the Kingdom. In great times of distress, we should adopt a framework for prayer such as Christ did in the garden, not only praying that God's “will be done", but also praying “if it is possible, let this cup pass.”
In Paul’s epistles, his prayers were not the preamble but the premise for his whole letter, embodying his theology and ethics in his doxology. In fact, for Paul, prayer is one of the ways God is acting. As Professor NT Wright has said, “when we are in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, then somehow, God is praying within us for the pain around us.” Paul was even able to sing in prison as he wrote his letters because of this truth.
Philippians 1:29 NRSV “For he has graciously granted you the privilege
not only of believing in Christ,
but of suffering for him as well.
He [Paul] considered suffering a gift, not because he enjoyed the pain (that would make him a masochist), but because it was through his suffering he was able to minister well to the body of Christ. The purpose of all of our God-given gifts is to bring unity to the church and glory to His name.
Colossians 1:24 NRSV “I am not rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake.
I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body,
that is, the church.”
Private lament with God has the potential to bring healing to your soul and strength to your heart as you walk a lonely road. And in this [individual] practice, lament is where our deep sadness meets the world’s deep wounds. We hope for a future but we have a mission for the present.
“Jesus blesses those who mourn (Matt 5:4) because they are ‘aching visionaries’ seeking genuine goods that escape their grasp. Who are the ‘mourners?’ They are those who have caught a glimpse of God’s new day, who act with all of their being for the days coming, and who break out into tears when confronted with its absence. They are the ones who realize that in God’s realm of peace there is no one blind and who ache whenever they see someone unseeing. They are the ones who realize that in God’s realm of peace there is neither death nor tears and who ache whenever they see someone crying tears over death. The mourners are aching visionaries.” - Wolterstorff
When the church isn’t for the suffering and broken then the church isn’t for Christ.
Mark 2:17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them,
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
To lament is to long for the shalom of God. Not just for ourselves, for that is indeed too small for a God so big. But to lament with and on behalf of others is one of the highest callings of the church. “You are not alone” is one of the most healing things you can offer a hurting person. It’s the same reminder Christ gives to us when He shows us the scars in His hands. “You are not alone.”
The degree to which we are willing to enter into the suffering of another person reveals the level of our commitment and love (agape) for them. Love requires sacrifice, suffering and servanthood. The cross was/is a powerful love lament. It asks us to sit in our grief and to sit with others pain no matter how uncomfortable.
One of the greatest blessings of the fear of the Lord is we learn to think less of ourselves. Awe must lead to faith and faith must lead to action.
We see a vibrant example of this in Isaiah chapter 6 as he laments in the throne room before God,
“5 I said, “Mourn for me; I’m ruined! I’m a man with unclean lips, and I live among a people with unclean lips. Yet I’ve seen the king, the Lord of heavenly forces!”
6 Then one of the winged creatures flew to me, holding a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips. Your guilt has departed, and your sin is removed.”
8 Then I heard the Lord’s voice saying, “Whom should I send, and who will go for us?”
Once he encounter’s God’s grace his response is to offer himself as a servant to the living God.
8b “I [Isaiah] said, “I’m here; send me.””
We mustn’t downgrade obedience, which is the concrete expression of the fear of the Lord. Our mission from Christ Himself is…
Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
“Jesus doing the perfect will of His Father, transformed all of this (evil, suffering, death) into the triumph of divine love, absorbing and defeating it simultaneously. Not only did He defeat all the powers of evil, He made them agents of His victory and their own defeat.” - C Wright
Each time we try to balance out other’s grief by offering empty platitudes or worldly “fixes”, we flex our perceived power. If we can help someone see the good/bright side (by the power of our words or insight) then they’ll be comforted and we will have done some good. It then becomes about us and not the person grieving or the One who can heal.
However, we cannot rescue ourselves or anyone else. Only He can save. As we learn to lament and wrestle out our own sin we are able to share the redemptive news and working of Christ with the world who is in desperate need of a savior.
Jonah 2:9 “Salvation is of the Lord.”
“Suffering and sacrifice and glory. That is the [great] principle of the cross: Life comes out of death. I bring God my sorrows and He gives me His joy. I bring Him my losses and He gives me His gains. I bring Him my sins, He gives me His righteousness. I bring Him my deaths and He gives me His life. But the only reason God can give me His life is because he gave me His death.” (E Elliot)
Our God is more loving and more powerful than we could ever imagine. Our own sins no matter how big are not bigger than God’s pleasure in forgiveness. As we cultivate within ourselves a deep rest in God, then we will find that suffering can sting and cause pain, but it won’t uproot us, overthrow us. This ‘good news’ is our gift that we share with the world through our suffering. Lament is missional because it proclaims the gospel story.
In Christ:
The shamed are covered and glorified.
The threatened are comforted and glorified.
The rejected are accepted and glorified.
This is our hope, this is our mission.
“Human beings are hope-shaped creatures. The way you live now is completely controlled by what you believe about your future.”- Keller
Biblical love is never satisfied unless it is growing (1 Peter 1:22). It develops strategies, it asks for prayers, it thinks big (spiritually).
God’s entire mission here on earth is all about love. He demands the ransom, He provides the ransom, He becomes the ransom. Herein is His love. “God’s love for His world is a rejoicing and suffering love.”- Wolterstorff
“The suffering of God on the cross teaches us that we can trust that God has done and will do everything he can for us. By willingly suffering on the cross, Chris demonstrated that he considered this world, despite evil, to be worth a cost to himself (Romans 8:18, Heb 12:2). In doing, so, he also demonstrated God's righteousness (Romans 3:25-26) and love (5:8), and proved that he always keeps his promises (15:8). What more could he do?” -Peckham
**How can our laments display the gospel message to the world?
When God begins something big He always starts with something small. A seed, a broken man, a grain of sand, a small boy’s lunch, a widow’s remanent of oil, a newborn baby. Judging by the outward appearances apart from God’s word, it seems as though nothing would come of them. This is why we live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God- not every sight. What God says, not what we see, is how we live our lives and move and have our hope.
Each individual who lives (and suffers) and dies for Christ is a small seed planted into the harvest field of potential believers. Our testimony (no matter how small) is fertile soil. We do not have to do more than what we are able to be faithful with. It is enough to be faithful in the small because His grace fills in the rest.
Matt 5:14,16 AMP “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
“Revelation 21- 22 combines imagery from all the covenants of Scripture. Noah is there in the vision of a new creation, a new heavens, and a new earth after judgment. Abraham is there in the gathering and blessing of all the nations from every tongue and language. Moses is there in the covenantal assertion that "they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God" and the “dwelling of God is with men and he will live with them.” David is there in the holy city, the new Jerusalem, and in the identity of Jesus as the lion of Judah and the root of Jesse. And the new covenant is there in the fact that all of this will be accomplished by the blood of the lamb, who was slain.
Purged by judgment and the destruction of all wickedness and evil, human and satanic, the nations of the world will join in the praise of God for His salvation. They will bring all the wealth of their historical achievements into the city of God, as Isaiah had said they would. The city that now embraces the full extent, the whole new creation. And the river and the tree of life from which humanity had been barred in the earliest chapters of the Bible's grand narrative, will in its final chapter, provide the healing for the nations which the narrative has longed for ever since the scattering of Babel. The curse will be gone from the whole of creation. The earth will be filled with the glory of God, and all the nations of humanity will walk in His light. Such is the glorious climax of the Bible's grand narrative. Such is the triumph of the mission of God.”- The Mission of God by C. Wright
This is our joy. This is our mission. He is the vine and we are the branches. He is life eternal. This is what we are inviting people to when we suffer well for the kingdom because only this provides eternal hope. This is the only worldview for which we do not suffer in vain. This is where our pain turns to praise.
Revelation 21:3,4, 6 “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face…These words are trustworthy and true.”
Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased.”
**Let us end our laments with praise to the One who is worthy to be praised.
Personal Lament Pt 2: How long God must I suffer this relentless pain?
My pain is immense but no one has suffered more than you.
I remember.
You are faithful, even when I don’t understand.
In my sin you are still true
You break down all of my alters
You carry all of my mistakes of heart and deed.
Your sacrifice covers and makes new.
You make me your bride, dressed in glorious white.
I do not deserve this gift
Yet you generously offer
You delight in my redemption
Your name is made great among the stars
You ask me to, “come…
Enter into your rest.
You provide eternal rest for my body, my mind and my spirit.
The heavens take witness
The angels take notice
You remain steadfast in your covenant with me
Your lavish love overwhelms
Your goodness overtakes
May the dross be burned
May anything not of you be stripped away
Open my eyes
To a broken world that needs you
Strengthen me to love the way you love
You are the Great Healer
You are the Kinsman Redeemer
The nations will bow
You are God alone.
** Take notice of who is “doing” the verbs
Practical Tips/Reminders:
Luke 11:46 “Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you,
because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry,
and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.”
The burden of other’s expectations, unmet hopes, and prayers can weigh heavy on the sufferer. Well-intentioned people with well-meaning words can make someone feel more condemned than free. Short of divine revelation, we do not know reasons that apply to a given situation in suffering. It is futile- and may even be harmful- to speculate. We should remember this warning against speculation, especially when attempting to comfort someone suffering. Explanations will seem empty and insensitive.
“There is little worse than suffering a tremendous loss, and while still struggling to cope with it, rather than being embraced humanely and assisted in a tangible way, being told by others that the horrible thing that has happened is ‘a part of God's plan’ or ‘is for your own good’ or ‘that everything happens for a reason’; attempting to explain suffering is often the last thing a suffering person needs to hear in the midst of their distress.”- L Ekstrom
“Having someone simply be present in my pain was the most valuable gift anyone could bring. Someone to listen. No judgement. No answers. Just a caring heart and a listening ear.”- A Sampson
Romans 8:15b “And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
-God, my Father, is my safe space. When we have His true nature and His voice first all others are put in their right place.
“God alone is the place of peace that cannot be disturbed…”- Augustine
Psalm 25:4-5 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
Life, while suffering, is filled with measured living; limitations and processes and constantly needing to maintain the reserves. Suffering can be an isolating experience. We must learn to stand on our own connection with God and not just allow others to carry you every time. (balance)
Where there is lament and suffering there is a need. Community helps support your walk with God. Lament takes time and perspective. It takes community and grieving with others. If someone else’s suffering is uncomfortable, remind yourself what God did for you in comparison to what you deserved.
TIPS:
The grieving person will always be a grieving person from now on
Grieving people are afraid that you’ll forget
Don’t want a bright side- just validation
Err on the side of coming near
Help them- practically
Scripture References:
Brokenhearted- Psalm 147:3-5
Fear- Deuteronomy 31:6
Discouragement- Romans 8:31-34
Grief- John 16:20-22
Loneliness- Josh 1:9
Pain- Hebrews 12:11-13
Suffering- 1 Peter 5:10-11
Weakness- 2 Cor 4:7-10
Weariness- Isaiah 40:28-31
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