Lament as a form of Hope
Almost the entire book of Job is a lament. For dozens of chapters, Job laments his ruined life. And strangely, by complaining to God that God has wrecked Job’s hope, Job is actually putting hope in God. Because Job is still speaking to God. Job is still praying.
Listen in to this small portion of his very long lament:
He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.
He tears me down on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope like a tree. - Job 19:9-10
Now listen to the keen insight of Cole Arthur Riley:
Lament itself is a form of hope. It’s an innate awareness that what is should not be. As if something is written on our hearts that tells us exactly what we are meant for, and whenever confronted with something contrary to this, we experience a crumbling. - Cole Arthur Riley
Hmmm, isn’t that profound? Lament as a form of hope. Looking at how things really are and noting that they are not how they should be is a cry to make them as they should be.
What in the world do you lament today? Think about that and pray about your lament around your private life and around the life of our world.