How Do I Lament?
Psalm 13 takes quite an authentic look into the real struggle of a believer to cling to God in our most hopeless moments.
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
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?Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.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.
Psalm 13 is a psalm of lament, where David feels forsaken and forgotten by God. Simply put, a lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust in God. To lament is to express deep sorrow, grief, or regret with hope; it gives voice to the strong emotions that believers feel because of suffering and leads us to worship. However, this is much easier said than done. Psalm 13 gives step-by-step instruction on how to lament in six short verses. We are called to react, remember, and rejoice.
First, we are called to REACT.
Verses 1-4 are an invitation to react to our present circumstance and to wrestle with our emotions.
Look how David acknowledges and questions his despair:
He questions if the Lord has forgotten him and feels distant from God (vs. 1)
He appears to be downcast and full of sorrow (v. 2)
His enemies taunt him and exalt over him- He is shaken and anxious (v. 3. 5)
He feels abandoned and like he is dying (v. 5)
As you can see from these verses, suffering typically leads us to ask God these two questions:
Where are you God?
If you love me, why is this happening?
This psalm encourages us to be specific in our prayers. Lamenting requires us to put words to our present experiences and express them to God. David wrestles with trusting God in the midst of what is on his heart and mind. We are not to shy away from our pain and suffering.
Second, we are called to REMEMBER.
Whenever we see a “but” (v. 5) in Scripture, it should cause us to pause because it is often the word that hinges sorrow to hope.
In the midst of his lamenting his present circumstances, David exhales and remembers: “But I have trusted in your steadfast love” (v. 5).
He remembers who God is. He calls to mind God’s faithfulness to him in the past. This is a critical part of lament; otherwise, we will get lost in our suffering and drown in our sorrow. The thoughts of a hopeless person are cloudy. David knows that the path to hoping in God is to remember who God is and what he’s done.
Good theology can be a deep refuge in times of pain and suffering.
When you feel guilt or shame:
Think about your Justification
Through Jesus’ death on the cross, your sins have been paid for fully- so, you do not dwell on past mistakes. You are forgiven.
When you feel unworthy or stuck in your sin:
Think about your Sanctification
You are constantly becoming more holy and more like Jesus - you can change through the power of the Holy Spirit rather than remaining stuck and thinking, “Oh, I’ll never change,” and continuing in sin.
When you feel unlovable:
Think about your Adoption
You are the apple of God’s eye. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are chosen and beloved, so remember God does hear you, and He does love you like a good father loves his child.
When you feel hopeless:
Think about our Future Resurrection with Christ
We do not have to be afraid of aging or dying. This world is not the end. Heaven is our home. We have eternal life in Christ.
When you feel insecure:
Think about how much God loves you through Jesus Christ.
You can have confidence in your identity because you are worth dying for. You are not a mistake. You are wanted, valuable and deeply loved.
Thirdly, we are called to REJOICE.
David anchors himself in the steadfast nature of God rather than his unpredictable and painful circumstances, which empowers him to make these proclamations to himself and to God: “my heart will rejoice” (v. 5) and “I will sing to the Lord” (vs. 6). Please notice that nothing has changed in his present circumstances or his suffering, but what has changed is where lamenting has brought David.
He is no longer overcome with fear and sorrow but has fixed his eyes on God. There is a quiet confidence and peace when we rest in the assurance of who God is and what he’s done.
Just like when Peter walks on water, he quickly becomes overwhelmed by the storm and takes his eyes off Christ. He is fearful and begins to sink and drown. In that moment, Peter cries out to Jesus for help, who quickly reaches out his hand and rescues him and calms the storm. We can call out to Jesus in our storm and with quiet confidence remember he has rescued us and rejoice that He truly is the son of God.
Written by Ally Padilla
