DISCIPLESHIP: Lament as Worship

The Lord has been revealing to me a lot to me lately through a Bible study group that I have been attending. We are studying through the book of Psalms. Even though we only studied 6 Psalms so far is has become obvious to me that David is lamenting to God a lot. On the surface it may look like woes is me, my life sucks kind of stuff but it is not. David is crying out to the heart of God and claiming God's promises of healing and restoration. On a first pass through it seems as though David is being arrogant when He says so confidently that God hears Him and will be rescue Him. But when reading it a second and third time the truth is revealed that David is being drawn closer to the heart of God from his lament of his trials and the trials of the nation of Israel. David is focusing on the attributes of God that is He is just yet merciful.

So all that gets me thinking about lamenting as a form of worship. Why do I not personally seek a state of brokenness before God? Why is it so rare for corporate worship to focus on lament? When I tried to find contemporary praise songs that focus on lamenting to God and being broken, I couldn't think of any. Have we lost this form of worship? Do we come to church just to be sing about how great is our God and how awesome is His love but not willing to be broken about what God's heart is broken about?

These are intensely deep questions and each of us needs to do some introspection into our relationship with God about whether we are willing to be broken and lament in worship to Him. But we also need to answer the question corporately. From what I have been learning about revival is that it begins in the Body of Christ when they get real with God about themselves and the world around them. Revival starts with lament. The few times I have experienced corporate lament and confession of sin it has been intensely real and emotionally raw. The people of God confess their sins to one another and receive healing from bringing what was once in the darkness into the light. When we confess our sins corporately and are willing to be broken in spirit we come to end of ourselves. When we come to the end of ourselves we find God is there. All the wonderful characteristics about our God suddenly take on new meaning when we have been willing to confess our sins and have our spirit broken. We will find God's spirit will fill us and then when we sing joyful praise to Him it becomes all the more real and meaningful.

David begins Psalm 5 with

"Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King, my God, for to you I pray."

David ends Psalm 5 with

"Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield."

David poured his heart out to the Lord in lament and afterward was able take hold of God's promises and praise Him for who He is.