A Tall Glass of Lament
By Sarah Cushing
When I think of the word “lament” I picture a tall glass filled with water. The water is poured into the glass bit by bit. Each pour represents things such as disappointment, a hardship, injustice, a loss, or heartbreak. These are the negative consequences of living in a sinful world. They are unfortunately inevitable, and universally experienced. The pours keep going until the water overflows out of the tall glass, runs down the sides, and spills onto the table. The overwhelming grief and sorrow cannot be emotionally contained anymore. That is how I picture a lament: an overwhelming crying out to God about the sorrows we live through.
I’m someone who likes to keep my emotional glass contained. I like to be able to think rationally through my emotions, and have some semblance of control. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve shied away from studying the Psalms of lament too closely, or the whole book of Lamentations. Laments are difficult to read because they illustrate the true vulnerable state of humanity in a sinful world and a deep sorrow that is uncomfortable to sit with.
Lamentations chapter 3 is difficult to read through. The writer of Lamentations wrote chapter 3 from the perspective of a man in deep sorrow. I think of how this chapter would sound spoken instead of read. To me, it sounds like a rant, or the venting of this man against God. The writer does not just feel forgotten by God, the language used describes him as if he was one of God’s enemies. In my mind I hear verses 1-18 spoken in hurried, angry and desperate tones. But there is a pause between verse 18 and 19. As if the speaker takes a chopped breath. I can hear the exhaustion as the next two verses inquire for the suffering to be remembered. There is a turn in verse 21, “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” (Lamentations 3:21-23).
One of the beautiful aspects of the Christian faith is that we don’t have to stay in our grief and sorrow. There will be scars we carry with us for the rest of our days, but God brings light into the darkest of places, and hope where there was none. While sorrow in this life will come, it will also end. God’s promises are eternal and go beyond this world. May we remember this in the depths of our lament and hold on to hope.