From Lamenting To Longing

Dec 3, 2021

What do you do when you feel hopeless as you approach Christmas?

This devotional comes from Psalm 13: 1-3, 5-6

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

It was November of 1873 when Horatio Spafford and his wife Anna lost all their children in a tragic shipwreck. While overlooking the area where they passed away, he wrote the lyrics to the hymn, It Is Well With My Soul.

So as their neighbors were putting up Christmas lights, singing Christmas carols, and celebrating advent, the Spaffords were mourning the death of their children.

Perhaps for some of us, as we go through the advent season where we are to anticipate the coming of Christ and celebrate the gift of God’s own son for our sins... what if you have no reason to laugh because your heart only has reason to lament.

Isn’t it wrong to not be joyful? Isn’t this a season to be hopeful? Well, the good news is that the Bible gives us permission to lament.

Did you know that in the book of Psalms, a third of the psalms are laments? There is even a book in the Bible called Lamentations, all giving us this language to pray to the Lord.

And I would add, it is normal to feel this tension. Many in the church and in our nation and around the world have real reasons to lament this year. It is okay to lament over the losses we experienced.

So how do we go from lamenting to longing for Christ?

To start, let’s define biblical lament for. I heard one pastor define it like this:

Biblical lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust. It’s the voice of God’s people, while living in a broken world. It enters the complicated space of deep disappointment and lingering hurt.

However, the goal is to recommit oneself to hoping in God, believing His promises, and having a godly response to pain, suffering, and injustice.

Psalm 13 guides us practically on what this looks like. We lament by relying, venting, requesting and trusting.

1. We rely by going to the Lord, “How long, O Lord?” (Psalm 13:1)

2. We vent by being honest and open to God, “Will you forget me? Will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1)

3. We request by asking and praying to Him, “Consider and answer me, O Lord my God.” (Psalm 13:3)

4. Lastly, we trust, “But 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.” (Psalm 13:5-6)

One person said that David’s heart was more out of tune than his harp, yet as he laments, God changed him. Though he started with a sigh, he ended with a song. Though he began in tears, he ended with trust. This is why the definition of biblical lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust.

I can’t begin to fathom what Horatio and Anna felt in 1873. But the God of all grace and mercy grew their lamenting into a deeper longing for Christ.

Praise God that He alone can do this work in our lives.

Let’s pray.

Father God, we thank you for this advent season, where we can anticipate the coming of Christ. It is a joyous opportunity. But we also pray for those who are grieving and lamenting. Their hearts are filled with tears and sadness. We pray that they will run to Jesus, open their hearts to Christ, and you will do the tender work of loving them as they are, where they are. Thank you that you can turn our lamenting to a deeper longing for you.