By: Abigaille Alpay | Communication Coordinator
The world has been in this state for almost 9 months now and although it may feel like the norm, it’s still surreal. Many of us are in a state of lament as we reflect on lost jobs, being separated from family, cancelling special events and more.
What is lament or lamenting? Lamenting is a deep expression of grief or sorrow. The pain is so extreme that it touches your soul and that you grieve from such a deep place. Lamenting in a Christian context is, according to Crosswalk, “...a prayer in pain that leads to trust. It is not only how Christians grieve; it’s the way Christians praise God through their sorrows. Lament is a pathway to praise when life gets hard.”
Recently I’ve been in a season of lament. In the beginning of October, I felt myself feeling an overwhelming sense of grief, sorrow and hopelessness. Circumstances like the pandemic, school and the changing season are possible factors that explain how I’m feeling. Being in front of a screen for almost 12+ hours a day has been draining (between school, catching up with friends and family, work and ministry). For someone like me, who constantly needs social interaction to be stimulated and to be productive, working from home has been a challenge.
As days went by, I weeped, yelled and cried out to God, questioning why I was in this season, why was I feeling this way? Why am I grieving? Why does it feel difficult? I was pretty angry with God because He felt so distant and I wasn’t sure what to do. I shared my difficulties with a sister in Christ and she recommended reading through the Psalms because it’s full of laments of David. I stumbled upon Psalms 13 in which David is in turmoil and it seems as though his enemy is winning but he goes on to say that he will continue to trust, rejoice and praise God because He’s so good to him. Meditating on this Psalm helped me realize that even though I’m going through this season, God is still good. I’ve also been meditating on a song by Maverick City called ‘Promise’ and it has been a reminder that God is my anchor.
Thank you God for who you are. Thank you for being my firm foundation through this uncertain time. Thank you for showing me that even through this time of lament, you are still faithful and true. Even though I don’t know what may come or what I may go through, you know and that’s enough for me. Whether you make it known to me now, later or never, I will still continually trust in you.
In this season of lament, I will continue to praise you.