For Spiritual Journey Thursday (the first Thursday of each month), a fellow writer offers a topic for our group to reflect on individually. Then we write and share.
Today Ruth Hersey offers this: The topic I chose today, given that we’re in the second half of Lent, is Lament. The world has plenty to lament right now, and I suggest writing a Psalm of Lament…Aaron Niequist say[s] that a third of the Psalms in the Bible are about lament, whereas zero percent of modern worship songs are.
I’m not sure I’ve ever written a lament.
Biblically speaking, they follow a general pattern:
- An address to God
- A complaint
- A request for help
- Expressing trust in God
And so I started with the following. I almost deleted it, but am choosing to leave it as a record of my thinking and my heart:
Oh Lord, my God
Creator of all
you have always been there
before the beginning
and never-ending
you have aways been there
in my joy
in my pain
in my sorrow
in my rage
you were there
before I knew You
when I forgot You
when I ran from you
and when I ran to you
you were there…
I know these things to be true; however, I am losing the point of a lament, which is to be an expression of deep sorrow or grief, yet not without hope, and not without seeking the Lord and ultimately trusting. I think I struggle with laments because their anguished cries to God can sound somewhat accusatory. That is not the tone I want. It feels like misplaced blame.
And so I turned to Psalm 13. It is the model for my second lament attempt, here…
How long, Lord, will I forget that You are here in the midst?
How long will I try to carry my burdens alone?
How long will I grieve the ways of the world
with human judgment clouding my heart?
How long will my own flawed perspective blind me?
Look on me with mercy, oh Lord my God.
Give me Your light, that I might see
Your ways, Your workings, unaffected by humanity
which makes of itself an enemy.
Only in You do I wholly trust
for only holy You never fail.
Grant me wisdom, strength, and grace all my days
to live each one remembering and honoring You.
…it is still a work in progress, as are we all, thanks be to God, whose mercies endure forever.
Psalm 139 is my favorite of the psalms; I close here with its final verses as part of my daily prayer.
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
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I wasn’t sure about writing a lament, either. I like how you used the model of questioning on the second attempt. How long?…We are all on this long journey and I don’t think we ever stop questioning. My father always thought that questioning was the whole point. I’ve thought a lot about him today. I found a poem he wrote in the prayer book I used for my post.
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This is so touching, Fran. It’s a prayers that speaks to my heart and I thank you for sharing it. Have a blessed day.
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Fran, I did some research on writing a lament as well since I have never written one. Your first one spoke to me. Yes, God always was, always is, and always will be there for even if we turn away or forget. Your second prayer is a plea to God. It reminds us that we are the ones who are flawed. And although we don’t know God’s ways, He is the one who is worthy of our trust. He never fails us even when we fail Him. Bob
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Fran: Thank you for this beautiful insight into laments. For me it is a lesson, a “how to” write laments. I will refer to it when I try to write my own. And, Fran… it is beautiful! I am trying to learn…to live with the lesson…to remember… that it is in God alone that we must place our trust. That we are flawed and our understandings imperfect. I especially love “look on me with mercy.” As always, many blessings.
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Love the repetition in your first lament. “You have always been there.” and “You were there.” I liked how you explained your struggle with laments, not the tone you want. And then the beauty in your 2nd attempt and that plea to God – “Grant me wisdom, strength, and grace all my days
to live each one remembering and honoring You.”
That’s the challenge, how to live our days remembering and honoring Him.
As always, I appreciate your writing and the process you shared with us.
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Fran, well done. I’m glad you shared both your laments as they came off your pen. These lines are beautiful:
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