Jennifer Rothchild wrote, “Lament is never dead end. It is always a stepping stone, an
essential step on a path of
healing and wholeness.”
James describes the Biblical exploration in lament and commands, “Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom” (James 4:9 NKJV). Just as personal lament is important for individuals to experience, so is congregational lament. Lament was the place in my spiritual walk where I came from knowing who God is, to wanting to seek his heart. According to Graham Cole, who is The Dean Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, “Lament gives us a language of address to God when life is perplexing, overwhelming and desperate.” I believe that worship pastors should moderately incorporate songs of lament into a liturgy. Three main reasons for defense include the what, why, and how behind Biblical lament. First, we will look at what Biblical lamentation is. Second, we will look at the importance of Biblical lamentation. Third, we will see how Biblical lamentation can be applied in a liturgy.
Congregational Christian worship should include songs of lamentation in their liturgies.
Biblical lamentation is illustrated throughout Scripture. Prayers of worship through lament are recorded throughout the Old Testament, New Testament, the Psalms, and the commands of Christ. In the Old Testament, the concept of lamenting is illustrated through the stories of Job, Hannah, and David. Job cried out to God through songs of worship and lament in the following passage in Job 3:11 “Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?” Job’s honest outpouring of his true emotions becomes an offering to God. So should the practice in congregational Christian worship. Job does not hold back grappling with God, but rather, he accepts that God has given us human emotions in order to bring even the hardest feelings we have before His feet in worship. Throughout the Old Testament, the people of God were deeply grieved over their sin. Hillary Kimsey commented in the Baptist New Global and wrote, “Instead of teaching Christians to bury their grief and project a hope and confidence the may not feel again for months, the church should sing songs and preach sermons that express lament. Instead of funerals mimicking weekly church services, they should be set apart with their own traditions. Death should not be business as usual in the church.
In the Old Testament, the grieving tore their clothes and wore sackcloth and ashes.” The early Christian church practiced lamenting as a people of God, so why should modern-day churches forsake this outcry to the Lord? David illustrated lamenting in a sincere way when he expressed in Psalm 31:9-10, “Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am in distress. My sight is blurred because of my tears. My body and soul are withering away. I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Misery has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.” Jesus Himself demonstrates lament in how He cried out on the cross in Matthew 22:47 which states “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” Jesus is setting the examples for the people of God here to worship God with their whole heart- not just the “pretty” parts of our hearts. The church of God should hunger for this kind of intimacy with the Father without feeling ashamed. The church needs to call out like David in Psalm 13 where he cries out, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” The lament leads to praise in the end in verse five and six, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” To know the true heart of God, Christians should practice Biblical lament in Christian worship. According to Jenifer Rothchild, “Every Psalm of Lament ends with praise, worship, or affirmation of God’s goodness and character.” This leads us to understand why Christian lament is important.
Biblical lamentation is important because the act teaches people what it truly means to whole-heartedly surrender to God. R. T. France records the Biblical emphasis of lament in his book The Gospel of Matthew, “lament shows up in all sorts of ways in the Bible: prophetic, liturgical, and narrative.” (See Isa. 63:7-64:12; Jer. 14:17-22; 20:6-11; Lam. 5; Heb. 1) Furthermore, he concluded that “about one-third of the book of Psalms is composed of psalms of lament.” Additionally, Kelly Minter comments on the emphasis of lament in the Psalms when she writes in The Blessed Life that “there are sixteen community or national psalms of lament and forty-two individual psalms of lament.” Paul wrote in Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice.” Lamenting with people individually comes before lamenting in worship communally. Now that the Biblical emphasis has been established, let’s see how Christians should include songs of lament in worship.
The first way that congregations can include lament in worship is to read Scriptures which encourage people to grapple with hard emotions before the Lord. Death, grief, depression, and other hard feelings should be encouraged to be expressed in churches through worship. God wants us to surrender all of our feelings, not just the “good ones.” Matthew wrote in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Not only is lament encouraged in the Gospels, but David also actively worships through lament as written in Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Biblical lamentation demonstrates to other people how Christians have a foundation to grapple with pain and suffering. Mark Vroegop wrote in Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament “The practice of lament is one of the most theologically informed actions a person can take. While crying is fundamental to humanity, Christians lament because they know God is sovereign and good. Christians know his promises in the Scriptures. We believe in God’s power to deliver. We know the tomb is empty, and Jesus is alive. And yet we still experience pain and sorrow. Lament is the language for living between the poles of a hard life and trusting in God’s sovereignty. It is a prayer form for people who are waiting for the day Jesus will return and make everything right. Christians don’t just mourn; we long for God to end the pain.” In my personal opinion, lament is a way that all Christians should learn to process hard emotions. Inside of a corporate worship setting, it can be difficult to navigate how to encourage congregations to lament; however, steps can be taken to encourage this practice in singing hymns of lament in congregational worship.
Christians should include songs of lament in worship. Theologically, this task is clear. However, practically incorporating time into a liturgy for lament is difficult in application. A first step a church can take to apply this truth is to educate the congregation on laments in Scripture. Lament is written out in Psalm three where the following response is demonstrated: First, address God. Second, pour out your heart. Third, request help. Fourth, express trust. Fifth, praise Him. Responding to God through lament results in praise. Second, pastors can exhort Scriptures and emphasize how God delights in His people bringing their whole heart before Him- even when it’s grappling. People who teach, lead, and exhort inside of the Body of Christ should model honesty in experiencing seasons of lament before the Lord.
Objections regarding involving lament into a liturgy do indeed exist and need to be addressed. Some people contend that lamenting is not “attractive” in a congregational worship service; however, churches are not called to be “attractive” but rather to teach the Word of God.
Other people contend that lamenting to God through song and prayer is “uncomfortable;” however, perhaps it is uncomfortable because Christians are not used to bringing their whole hearts to Christ- just the “pretty ones.” Christians are called to surrender- not to save what they do not want God to see. Scripture declares this truth in Ecclesiastes 7:2 “It is better to go to a
house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” Jesus pronounces blessings over those who mourn in Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Paul wrote in Romans 12:15 that Christians are to “Weep with those who weep.” Singing songs of lament in worship becomes more comfortable when the people of God show the compassion and loving kindness that Christ offers when Christians lay their whole hearts before His throne.
Perhaps the greatest thing preventing congregations from including songs of lament in their liturgy is the objections from people who only want to sing praise songs. The first contention many people have is that it is harder to incorporate songs of lament into a liturgy. While that may be true, incorporating songs of lament into a liturgy is not impossible. Songs of lament are often unfamiliar in part because they have not been taught to congregations. Songs of lament are few, and that is an extreme challenge.
Grappling with the Lord is not easy, and sometimes it hurts. Some songs of lament are the following: “When My Heart Is Torn Asunder” by Phill Wickham, “Lord From Sorrows Deep I Call” by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa, “Weep With Me” by Rend Collective, “He Will Hold Me Fast” by Keith and Kristen Getty, “Though You Slay Me” by Shane and Shane, and “Hide Away in the Love of Jesus” by Shane and Shane. If it was impossible to actually incorporate prayers of lament in a church service, then why would it be encouraged in Scripture?
In conclusion, I believe that worship pastors should moderately incorporate songs of lament into a liturgy. What Biblical lamentation is, why it is important, and how it should be implemented are all reasons why Christians should normalize lament in worship. Congregational Christian worship should include songs of lamentation in their liturgies.
As written by Mark Vroegop, “The practice of lament is one of the most theologically informed things a person can do.” Although true, raw lament is hard- it is a way that Christians can know the heart of God more. John wrote in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be. As mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Written by Kelby Grace Beeson
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