A theology of lament begins with a foundational understanding of the suffering of the Godhead before it is about my suffering; of the grief of the Godhead before it is about my sorrow; of the righteous judgment of God, before it is about my anger.

A PASTORAL LETTER

Dearest family,

Good theology begins with the nature of God, not the needs of man. A theology of lament begins with a foundational understanding of the suffering of the Godhead before it is about my suffering; of the grief of the Godhead before it is about my sorrow; of the righteous judgment of God, before it is about my anger. The last two Sundays I have tried to make some observations related to this, and I presented five points for discussion and consideration under the title “Good Grief’.

1. There is the grief that God brings. The Book of Lamentations is such because it is the
response to God’s acts of judgment against the nation “Because of her many sins” (1:5).
2. There is the grief that God feels. “The Lord said, I am grieved that I made man” (Genesis 6:
5-7). Lament is God’s heart response to sin and its consequences. Lament is expressed by all
three persons of the Trinity.
3. There is the grief that desires and requires. God’s commands to lament come to the
prophets, the pastors and the people.
4. There is the grief that is normal and appropriate as a response of the people of God to
the God of the people.
5. There is a grief that God responds to. “The Lord has heard my weeping … The Lord accepts
my prayer” (Psalm 6:8).

I would invite you to listen to the recordings of these two messages so you can consider the scriptural argumentation that was presented. If we want to learn to lament biblically we simply need to pray … a lot! Prayer and lament are not two separate expressions, disciplines or practices. They are inseparable. When you pray for divine action in the terrain of human brokenness, you cannot avoid the divine affections. When you want God’s glory, you cannot avoid God’s grief. May our lament be responsive, not only to the crises and consequences of our sin, past and present, but responsive to the grief of God over that which is destructive of His will for us, and of His image in us.

Pastorally yours,

Stuart