Whether you are experiencing anger, regret, grief, confusion, or sorrow, physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally, God calls us to release the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that hold us back from fully pursuing Him. During this time of uncertainty, share your heart with the One who made it. Pour your self out and find replenishment through the refreshing truth of these scriptures.
Jesus warned us that life would not be easy and we would experience suffering (John 16:33). Even so, I don’t think anything could have prepared us for the type of suffering we would encounter and witness during both the COVID-19 pandemic, and our nation’s battle against racial injustice.
As a mother of five young children, I think I have cried more tears over the last several weeks than I have previously cried throughout the course of my life. To clarify, those tears were not tears of joy, but of anger, frustration, and impatience. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt pulled and stretched to my physical and emotional limit, but after the recent events resulting from the unnecessary death of George Floyd, I officially feel depleted and weak. My aching heart has broken into a million shattered bits and I don’t have the strength or energy to pull myself together. I know I am not alone.
It’s true, the year 2020 has caused us to walk through unprecedented times, but we are never too far gone to reach out to the Hand that leads us when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. Friend, it is okay to not be okay! We are made strong in our weaknesses when we surrender them to Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9) and it is through His strength and His strength alone that we will get through this (Philippians 4:13).
Whether you are experiencing anger, regret, grief, confusion, or sorrow, physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally, God calls us to release the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that hold us back from fully pursuing Him. This expression is called lamenting and it is such a common theme in the Bible that there is an entire book in the Old Testament dedicated to it!
During this time of uncertainty, share your heart with the One who made it. Pour your self out and find replenishment through the refreshing truth of these scriptures.
Photo Credit: © Sparrostock
10 Scriptures That Call Us to Lament
1) When you don’t understand what is happening to you:
“Just as you’ll never understand the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman, So you’ll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does.”
– Ecclesiates 11:5 (MSG)
2) When the world seems to be falling apart:
“God, listen! Listen to my prayer,
listen to the pain in my cries.
Don’t turn your back on me
just when I need you so desperately.
Pay attention! This is a cry for help!
And hurry—this can’t wait!”
– Psalm 102:1-2 (MSG)
3) When you feel alone:
“How lonely sits the city
That was full of people!
She has become like a widow
Who was once great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the provinces
Has become a forced laborer!”
– Lamentations 1:1 (NASB)
4) When you grieve what is gone:
“I weep for the pastureland
in the hill country.
It’s so barren and scorched
that no one travels there.
No cattle can be found there,
and birds and wild animals
have all disappeared.”
– Jeremiah 9:10 (CEV)
5) When your sorrow leads you to repentance:
“Why should a living man complain,
a man, about the punishment of his sins?
Let us test and examine our ways,
and return to the Lord!”
– Lamentations 3:39-40 (ESV)
6) When you cry out for mercy:
“Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
I am sick at heart.
How long, O Lord, until you restore me?
Return, O Lord, and rescue me.
Save me because of your unfailing love.
For the dead do not remember you.
Who can praise you from the grave?[b]
I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.”
– Psalm 6:2-6 (NLT)
7) When you’re waiting for the Lord:
“I am waiting for my Lord,
like a guard waiting and waiting for the morning to come.”
– Psalm 130:6 (ERV)
8) When you feel like you have nothing left:
“And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’”
– Mark 14:36 (ESV)
9) When you feel powerless:
“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
– 2 Chronicles 20:12 (ESV)
10) When you feel like God is avoiding you:
“O Lord, why do you stand so far away?
Why do you hide when I am in trouble?”
– Psalm 10:1 (NLT)
“How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?” (Psalm 13:2 NLT)
We don’t know how long these unfortunate circumstances will last but we are called to have a faith that sustains anything we face. God already knows what is on your heart (Psalm 7:9) and He can release you of your burdens when you surrender them to Him. Let go and let God. Put down the burdens that are weighing you down (Psalm 55:22) and hand over the anxieties that are holding you back (1 Peter 5:7). When you allow yourself to feel, you allow yourself to be free—free of pain, worry, anger, and strife.
Hang in there, friend. Trust in the Lord. Pour out your heart and find comfort in Him (Psalm 62:8). This time is not easy but remember you are not alone. God will meet all of your needs according to the riches of His glory (Phillippians 4:19).
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Victor Tongdee
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