781_When sorrow leads us to God (Lamentations 1)
Lamentations 1:18-20 “The Lord is in the right,
for I have rebelled against his word;
but hear, all you peoples,
and see my suffering;
my young women and my young men
have gone into captivity.
19 “I called to my lovers,
but they deceived me;
my priests and elders
perished in the city,
while they sought food
to revive their strength.
20 “Look, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my stomach churns;
my heart is wrung within me,
because I have been very rebellious.
In the street the sword bereaves;
in the house it is like death.
How different a house feels after its inhabitants have left it for good! The rooms still have their furniture and the walls haven’t moved, but it feels empty. The silence seems loud, and everything seems to be a reminder of what is no longer there.
Some moments in life feel like that house. Something has happened, something has been lost, and the sorrow cannot simply be explained away. Such moments may make us wonder what faith looks like in such situations. Should a Christian in great trouble simply smile and praise God? Or is there a place in the life of faith for tears, grief, and mourning?
Lamentations 1 shows us with clarity that there is a place for mourning under the discipline of God. More than that, sorrow can lead us back to him if we bring it honestly to him.
Lamentations sees the desolation of Jerusalem, its emptiness and destruction. Its proud glory has disappeared. Hence the words: “How lonely sits the city that was full of people!” (Lamentations 1:1).
Giving the city a human voice, the writer speaks of a woman who was once great but has now become a widow and a slave. She has lost her companions and her children. She has lost her former glory. She sits in her loneliness and distress, bathed in tears of grief.
There is no attempt to soften or escape the sorrow. The writer sees the city’s devastation for what it is, and mourns over Jerusalem.
In the same way, there are seasons in our lives when pretending that everything is fine is not an expression of faith. Relationships break, dreams are lost. Failures have painful consequences. We may carry a grief that other people cannot fully understand.
But we don’t have to hide it from God. The Psalms are filled with tears and cries. Jeremiah wept for his doomed people. Our Lord Himself wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Faith does not require us to deny our pain.
Lamentations 1:16 openly confesses: “For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my spirit; my children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed.”
There is no embarrassment. He does not attempt to cover over his sorrow with spiritual jargon, nor does he try to stay strong. He confesses his hurt.
We know how to pray when we need something. We know how to praise when things are going well. But sometimes we don’t know how to bring our sorrow to God.
Yet mourning can be an act of faith when we mourn before God. We can pour out our helpless grief and our lack of understanding, and even our lack of hope, before him. For this is not unbelief, but the beginning of deeper faith.
But the writer does not simply wallow in self-pity. He honestly examines the situation, and faces the truth about the terrible thing that has happened. He repeatedly acknowledges that Jerusalem’s suffering is because of her refusal to repent of her great sins. Verse 5 says, “the LORD has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions.” Verse 8 says, “Jerusalem sinned grievously.”
The writer doesn’t merely ask, “Why us?” He is willing to ask, “What have we done?”
And that affects how we mourn. Sometimes our sorrow makes us angry with everyone around us. Sometimes we blame circumstances or other people. We may even blame God.
But godly sorrow teaches us to examine our own hearts. It makes us anxious to repent and to enjoy God’s favor once again, regardless of our earthly circumstances.
This does not mean that every suffering we experience is the direct result of a particular sin. Scripture itself makes that clear. Job suffered without being guilty of the wickedness his friends suspected him of. The Lord told his disciples that the blind man was not suffering for anyone’s sin, including his own.
Yet, as this book reminds us, it is good to humbly ask the Lord whether there is anything he wants to tell us, anything we need to repent of and change.
And that is exactly where the writer arrives in verse 20: “Look, O LORD, for I am in distress; my stomach churns; my heart is wrung within me, because I have been very rebellious.”
His distress and his realization of his sin takes him to the Lord. He doesn’t run from God because he has sinned. This may be among the most important things we learn. When our sorrow exposes our failure, our first instinct is to hide in shame, to clean ourselves up before we can come to God.
But Scripture tells us otherwise. When caught in grave sin, David cried out: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). The prodigal son returned to his father not because he had everything together, but because he had finally recognized where he belonged.
And so, when sorrow reveals something broken in us, let us run to the Lord who restores. For mourning is not the destination of grief. Sorrow is not our permanent home, but the road home to our God.
And so, the writer goes on to say, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Jerusalem remained a ruin. His circumstances had not changed. But he remembered with trust and with gratitude that his God was merciful and steadfast in his love. This is godly sorrow, and it brings life rather than despair.
Despair says, “There is no hope.” But the mourning of faith says, “Therefore I have hope.”
Despair turns away, saying, “I am alone.” Faith turns towards God, begging, “Lord, look on me in my distress.”
In our sorrow, let us stop pretending and rush through it. Let us not feel we have to put on a good face and smile when our hearts are breaking.
But let us not remain trapped in sorrow either. Let us cry before our God, bringing him our questions and our regrets and even our sin. Let us repent and trust him for mercy.
Let our pain move us towards prayer and confession and hope. Let it move us to read the scriptures, so that we may remember the goodness of God and take new heart.
The God whom we serve even in our brokenness does not despise us. Psalm 34:18 says, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
When our eyes are full of tears and our hearts are wrung within us because of our sin, God is near. His mercies are new every morning. His faithfulness has not failed. There is hope beyond the ruins.
And so our prayer of mourning will become true repentance, leading us back into the sunshine of God’s mercy. For he alone is the One whose steadfast love never ceases. God bless
Reflection questions
What kinds of sorrow or loss in your life have been difficult for you to bring honestly before God, and why?
How can mourning before God be different from simply feeling sorry for ourselves or sinking into despair?
What does Lamentations 1 teach you about the relationship between suffering, self-examination, confession, and repentance?
When have you experienced a season of pain that ultimately drew you closer to God, and what did that experience teach you about Him?
How can you practically allow your present sorrow to lead you toward prayer, Scripture, repentance, and greater dependence on God?
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, we do bring our sorrow, our failures, our questions, and our pain honestly before You. You are near to the brokenhearted and Your steadfast love never ceases. We will not run away from You in our sorrow, but come to you. We confess our sins and repent heartily of them. We believe your promises in the most difficult of circumstances, and we hope in you. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen