“The prayer of lament is the prayer for a suffering soul. It is our fight with our soul to remember that there is a future. In the book of Psalms, we see this type of prayer when the writer is facing very difficult circumstances. We see him crying out to God for deliverance from a particular difficulty, often listing his complaints, describing his suffering, and crying out to God for help.” (Everyday Prayers for Joy)
The prayer that has had the biggest impact on my life is the Prayer of Lament. I grew up in the church and had never been taught much about this type of prayer, but several years ago, when my husband and I found ourselves in the middle of some very difficult trials, I began battling anxiety and depression. Out of desperation I began studying the Prayer of Lament, what its purpose is, how it was used in the Bible, and examples of those who prayed this way throughout the scriptures. I came out on the other end of this study equipped with a whole new way to pray and have implemented it into my daily life.
In the Prayer of Lament, we have the opportunity to tell God how we really feel.
It is a prayer where we cry out to God and even ask the question, “Why?” We have been given permission to tell God when we are having a hard time understanding our circumstances, when we are suffering in some way, or when our heart is aching.
Get your copy of Everyday Prayers for Joy, and begin putting the Prayer of Lament into practice today!
The next step in the Prayer of Lament is to take time to remember.
We can come to God with our questions and pour out our hearts to Him (complain!), but in a Prayer of Lament, there is an eventual choice to remember the truth of God’s character and His past actions as they are told in Scripture. As one author pointed out, “We choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelm us.” We will have to make this choice one day at a time, maybe even minute by minute.
Finally, the Prayer of Lament has a goal.
After we are reminded of who God is and what He has done, God gently and lovingly challenges us to look ahead while clinging to His promises and the hope found in Him alone. Look at God’s Word and trace His faithfulness there, then take time to reflect on your life and trace His faithfulness in your own life. Read God’s promises to you in His Word and cling to the hope that is found there. Remembering His faithfulness and clinging to His promises can help you move forward and lift you out of the pain, focusing you on our only true and lasting source of joy.
Does this mean our sadness or pain goes away? Does it mean we stop grieving? No, it doesn’t. What it does is it gives you a perspective that helps you persevere through the difficulty. It sets your eyes on God and His promises which enables you to put one foot in front of the other. It gives you hope, enables you to function, and it helps you get to know God in a deeper way as you cling to Him.
I practice the Prayer of Lament on a regular basis because life is hard and, to be honest, it gets harder as you get older.
That might be a discouragement to some, but it isn’t meant to be. If we practice leaning into God and praying Prayers of Lament, what happens is we develop a new kind of relationship with God, one in that will strengthen and empower us so that we can persevere to the end. As I’ve gotten older, I have found that some of the things I’m facing, even normal life changes, can be overwhelming. The loss of parents, our children growing up and moving on, and the changes that we face in our bodies and daily lives as we age are too much to handle on our own. The Prayer of Lament has helped me to process all these things and has given all that I go through in this life purpose as I cling to God and am reminded of His faithfulness.
Being reminded of God’s faithfulness in this way also helps me to live out my calling as an “older” person, to proclaim to the younger generation that God is faithful!
“Tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done!” Psalm 78:4
Gina has transitioned her ministry from full-time mom and part-time writer, to being a mom who is available to her adult children as much as they need her and writing for several websites. You can find her at crosswalk.com, Ibelieve.com, millionprayingmoms.com, and at her website ginalsmith.com. She’s the author of Everyday Prayers for Joy, a 30-Day Devotional & Reflective Journal for Women.
