A Cry Of The Heart

Children being shot, people at war, human beings in the image of God being exploited and abused. Personal struggles, family and friends hurting. Things not going the way we imagined in our lives and in the lives of the one's we love, even in the lives of the one's we do not know, whether they live in another continent, the other side of our country, or in our own neighborhood, but yet our hearts are affected by their suffering and pain. We feel the pain. We feel the pain of affliction for ourselves and all of humanity. So we grieve. We grieve for us and them. We feel the pain. So we cry out.  We cry out for justice. We cry out for equality. We cry out for change. We cry out for awakening. We cry out for revival. We cry out because He is our God and we are His people. (Exodus 6:7)  We cry out because He is a God who hears us and delivers us from our troubles. (Psalm 34:17) 

We lament. 

To lament means to express regret or sorrow over something, to mourn for or over a situation. It's a passionate expression of grief; weeping. There's many things my heart grieves over. There's many things I weep over. Children being killed in our schools. Women being sex trafficked and exploited. People dying from drug addiction. The homeless person wandering the streets day in and day out with no place to call home. People literally starving to death all over this world.  People sitting right in our pews wondering if anyone will notice they are hurting, and they may appear to be okay on the outside, but on the inside they are screaming, "DO YOU SEE ME?"  People being treated with less value and worth based on the color of their skin or their gender. People alone with no one to love them. I feel the pain.  I feel the pain of those who are hurting. And I cry out.  I cry out, "I SEE YOU!" I can feel the pain and transparency of David the Psalmist when he says, 

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish? 

My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, but I find no rest." 

(Psalm 22:1-2)

I am grateful.  I am so grateful to serve a God who allows me to weep at His feet, who allows me to cry out to Him in lament, who allows me to sit in His presence, with truth, honesty and vulnerability residing together, and He comes.  He also allows me to come, with tears pouring down my cheeks and aching in my own suffering or for the suffering of people around me, and He is not offended by me bearing my soul to Him.  He is not offended when I scream out, "Why Lord?"  He actually bends down toward me.  He moves in even closer.  He hears. He listens.  He actually keeps track of my sorrows, He collects my tears, and He records each one in His book!  (Psalm 56:8)  In that quiet, tear filled space there is safety.  There is a knowing that rises up. Truth comes.  I am never alone. He is never far off.  He saves me, time and time and time again.  He will save you.  He has never failed me. He will never fail you.  Never.  I remember.  And I can still praise Him.

"I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.


You who fear the Lord, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him!
Revere Him, all you descendants of Israel!


For He has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
He has not hidden His face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.


From You comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear You I will fulfill my vows.


The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise Him—
may your hearts live forever!"
(Psalm 22:22-26)

We repent, we pray, we intercede and we lament because we have hope, hope in our Father who comes, who restores, who redeems; we have hope in our Father who promises He will never leave us and He will never forsake us.  (Deuteronomy 31:6)  And because of this we can boldly enter His throne room and pour our hearts out to Him, on behalf of ourselves and on behalf of others. Jesus is acquainted with pain.  He was despised and rejected.  He was mocked, ridiculed and in the end, nailed to a Cross. He lamented. His final words,  "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").  The veil was torn.  Now we can enter in, no longer separated, but Sons and Daughters now able to sit at the Table of Grace.  Now able to dance in joy, but also able to weep at His nail-pierced feet.  Always standing in hope even as we cry out for a lost and hurting humanity.  Even as we repent for what we know and even for what we don't!  We repent because we are always called to turn back to our Beloved.  We never have to wonder why.  Such relief.  We intercede for brothers and sisters around this world.  We stand in the gap.  We weep for them.  We cry out to God for them.  It's beautiful.  That space.  That time.  Sorrow, but joy.  Loss, but still having everything we need.  Grief, but hope.  Falling apart, but still held together. Lost, but found.  Injustice, but assurance that one day all things will be made right.  Inequality, but equal at the Foot of the Cross. Lies, but promises!  Rejected, but never alone.  Weak, but strong. Hated, but loved so dearly.  Hidden, but seen.  Poor, but rich.  Broken, yet a new creation.  Suffering, but getting to be partakers. Trials, but always taking heart because He has overcome the world!  We need You, Lord.  Thank you, Lord, that you are not a distant Father, but rather you are a Father that is close to the brokenhearted and You understand our pain.  (Psalm 34:18)         

We come together in lament, in faith, saying God, you are the only One that can help us and we know You are here.  We come together and cry out for justice, healing and restoration.  We come together to share in one another's burdens.  We come together because for all we know breakthrough is peaking around the corner for us and them.  We come together to be honest about our sins.  We come together to repent for things in our own lives or for the injustices we see everywhere we go. We come together in lament to experience intimacy with our Father, who understands and says, "Come as you are."  We come together in prayer and lament and we are reminded of His goodness, His love, His grace, His mercy and the eternal hope we have in Christ.  We come together in lament and are reminded He wraps His arms around us with the best hug we could ever get and He whispers, "You, my child, are everything to me."  And in those beautiful, tear stained moments we get to respond, "And you, my Papa, are everything to me too. Holy Spirit, come.  

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him." Lamentations 3:21-24