I heard of the word lament but never investigated the meaning because I didn’t think it applied to me. But the more I learn about it, the more I realize…yep, it’s for me…for anyone dealing with grief or pain.
Lamenting is a safe way to release the negative and replace it with Truth. A safe way to process the grief and pain.
When I allow the negative to swirl around in my brain, it shapes the way I think. The way I respond. It swirls and swirls so that anything that comes out of me, words or actions, are negative. There sticks the dark spaces in me that are not healthy. God knew that we needed a way to process and heal so He created lamenting. Releasing negative and replacing it with His Truth.
Jeremiah has an entire book of Lamentations for his nation Israel. The sins they committed. His grief was so overwhelming that he needed a way to process and heal, so he wrote laments.
Let’s talk about David a moment…
David recorded many lamentations in the book of Psalms…73 of them. For his healing and for us to learn how to lament. David was a man who committed terrible sins, however, God recorded that he was also a man of God, making him a king even. David had some dark moments. He had someone who wanted to kill him and he killed. Sin to him and sin because of him.
Going through seasons in life when things happen to me and when things happen because of me. They all need to be dealt with, processed in a healthy way, so my mind doesn’t stay in the dark.
Sins committed against David … a man named Saul hunted him, trying to kill him. Psalm 13…”How long?…How long?…How long?…How long?…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.” Notice the negative being replaced by the Truth.
Sins committed because of him…he slept with another man’s wife, felt guilty so tried covering it up by having the husband killed. Psalm 51…” For I know…against you…purge me…create in me…restore me…deliver me…God of my salvation…You will not despise.” Stating his sin followed with claiming God’s Truth, God’s promises.
It was hard for me at first to write down my negative thoughts. I didn’t want to write them down because it felt wrong to even have these emotions, feelings, plus…I tend to try to ignore them, but we all know that only lasts a short time…because I am human. The negative seeps out eventually. This kind of healing comes from God, not from me. But the more I practice it, the more I see the Lord starting to heal me.
Some of my laments are because of what is happening to me and some of my laments are because of what I have done to another person. There is an enemy who doesn’t want me to heal and by not writing it down and replacing the negative with positive, I will let the enemy win the battle over my mind.
I am being vulnerable right now and letting you see one of my laments:
WHY??!!
Why are You choosing NOT to heal her?
You choose other miracles and other people to heal but not her.
Take me, not her.
She is a faithful woman, serving You, loving You, sharing Your love with others, but yet You decide not to heal her! Yet You choose to heal others! Keep others alive to share Your Gospel, but not her. Keep others alive to crush Your Name.
I am so furious right now I feel like my heart will literally explode from this pain.
How could You?
She is only 69.
She won’t be able to see any of my kids get married or have children.
I’m not done learning from her. I still need my mom!
I can’t breathe.
I can’t move.
I can’t see because of these tears because Your will is to take her.
How am I supposed to go on?
I am so tired.
But…
You can handle all my fears, all my anger, all my disappointments.
You are my God Who never leaves me.
You are my God Who collects all my tears.
You are my God Who sees me.
You are my God Who will restore me.
Your love is steadfast.
That is an example of one of my laments of the pain that happened to me. An example of a lament of the pain that has happened because of me…maybe I’ll share another day.
Lamenting. Getting rid of the negative and replacing it with Truth. Writing it down. It is hard. It is being vulnerable with myself to write it down. But the healing does come. He will restore. Thank you, Father, for being patient with me, helping me process and heal.
I am ONE story,
~ Kristy
Psalm 13 ESV (English Standard Version)
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;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
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.
Psalm 51 ESV (English Standard Version)
Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV (English Standard Version)
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Psalm 56:8 NLT (New Living Translation)
8 You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
Genesis 16:13 NLT (New Living Translation)
13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”
Psalm 71:20 NLT (New Living Translation)
20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths of the earth.
Psalm 136:1 ESV (English Standard Version)
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.