When You Don’t Know What to Do, Lament
Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. 2 Chronicles 20:12
Jesus sends us out to help people we feel helpless to help.
I had this text exchange with a dear friend from Afghanistan a few days ago.
How is your family in Kabul? We are praying for you and are very concerned.
We are worrying a lot. Our families got a warning letter from the Taliban to surrender my husband to them otherwise they will face death.
My friend’s husband is a hero. He was awarded a purple heart for saving American lives in the fight against the Taliban in his native Afghanistan. They now reside safely in the US, and efforts to get their families here in recent years have been futile. Now their elderly parents and siblings remain behind, in grave danger.
How can I help my friends feel better? How can I take the terror away? What can I do, what can I say to help?
I want to do something.
I may feel helpless to help, but the reality is I am not. As followers of Jesus, you and I have all the power and authority of heaven behind us and there is something very meaningful we can do. God has given His people a tool for times of anguish, injustice, and sorrow. That tool is called lament.
I learned about lament after being a disciple of Jesus for over three decades. Almost twenty years after my seminary degree. How did I miss this????
I discovered the power of lament during a time of loss and heartbreak, excruciating pain, and a heart filled with hard questions for God. Lament came as a shock, followed by sharp relief. I can pour out my complaint to God and He won’t be angry with me! He is not shaken by my darkest feelings! I can remind my soul of His faithfulness even as I express my complaint. In the end, I can declare my trust in Him even when I do not understand His ways.
Lament is how we navigate the brokenness and injustice of this fallen world. How we process with God the things that we cannot control, the issues that outrage and depress us. Lament is how we fortify our faith and walk away with renewed trust in the God who does the impossible. Lament helps us wait for the Lord.
Lament is a gift for when we don’t know what to do. For moments when the injustice, the pain, the fear is so great, the oppression so complete, that we see no clear way out. #afghanistan #lamentforafghanistan Share on XWe do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.
2 Chronicles 20:12 is a lament capsule, small and tidy, but packing all the power of an African all-night prayer session.
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, had been informed a great multitude was coming against him. Death and defeat seemed imminent. He was afraid. He set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout the nation.
What’s happening in Afghanistan makes me afraid. I am afraid for the Christians there, and the Christians here who have taken refuge in our cities while they weep over their loved ones back home.
I am afraid of minimizing my friends’ grief in my ignorance of what it is like to be them.
I will set my face to seek the Lord.
After Jehoshaphat set his face to seek the Lord, he led his people in lament.
Lament typically has seven key elements:
- Address to God
- Review of God’s faithfulness in the past
- Complaint
- Confession of sin or claim of innocence
- Request for help
- God’s response
- A declaration of praise or a statement of trust in God.
Not all laments contain all seven elements, but every lament contains complaint. One of my wise mentors says that lament is a sign of faith, not a sign of doubt.
This was certainly the case for Jehoshaphat. You can read his lament in its entirety in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12. He was making a thundering declaration of faith.
And God answered.
Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them…you will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem… (vv. 15b, 16a, 17)
A Lament for Afghanistan
God of the heavens and the earth, King of kings, and Lord of lords,
Show yourself mighty on behalf of Afghanistan.
You have sent forth your word to that land;
It has borne fruit in the hearts of men, women, and children.
You have been faithful to preserve a remnant of faithful followers of Jesus there.
You have done wonders among Afghans spread out in diaspora across the earth. You have opened their hearts to know You and walk in Your ways.
How long will You permit evil men to oppress and kill your people?
The evil ones commit violence toward men, women, and children. They kill Your righteous ones. They do this in the name of God. They blaspheme your great name.
Forgive us, the Church, Christians around the world, for passing by our oppressed brothers and sisters. Forgive us for prayerlessness. For being too busy to get involved in the hard work of intercession for the persecuted.
Remember Your people, O Lord. Defend Your great name. Have mercy on us and execute justice in Afghanistan.
We will wait for You.
Praise be to the name of the God of all nations! One day we will worship you in Your dwelling place alongside our brothers and sisters from Afghanistan, our voices rising as one to Your glorious throne!
On that day we will sing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is and who is to come! All honor and praise to the One who has thrown down His enemies and made them a footstool for his feet!
Share this post on your social media and in your networks with the hashtag #lamentforafghanistan
We are not helpless to help.
Today, I can lament for Afghanistan and her people. And I will wait for my God who is faithful to answer my cry for help.
To print a lament template to help you write your own lament, click here.
Lord, when I don’t know what to do, teach me to lament. Increase my faith and fortify my trust as I wait for You. Amen.
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