There are seasons when words feel insufficient.
When the weight of the world feels heavier than usual.
When grief is not only personal, but collective.
In moments like these, Scripture gives us a language we often forget: lament.
Lament is not a lack of faith.
It is faith that refuses to look away.
Throughout the Bible, God’s people cry out in confusion, sorrow, anger, and longing. The Psalms are filled with honest prayers that do not rush toward resolution. They name pain plainly. They ask hard questions. They sit with God in the tension of not yet.
Lament allows us to say:
This hurts.
This is not how it should be.
Lord, how long?
And still – You are my God.
Waiting often accompanies lament. Waiting for justice. Waiting for healing. Waiting for clarity. Waiting for peace to return to our hearts or to our communities. Waiting is hard because it asks us to live in uncertainty, without quick answers or tidy endings.
But waiting with God is different than waiting alone.
In lament, we do not abandon hope – we anchor it. We bring our grief into God’s presence instead of carrying it in isolation. We trust that He sees what we see, and more. That He hears what feels unspeakable. That He remains near even when circumstances feel unbearably heavy.
Lament creates space for grief without surrendering faith.
It teaches us that God can hold our sorrow and our hope at the same time.
If you are grieving – personally or collectively – know this:
God does not ask you to rush past your pain.
He invites you to bring it to Him.
And in the waiting, He remains faithful.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
Psalm 34:18 (NLT)
Lord,
We come to You with heavy hearts,
carrying grief we do not always have words for.
Teach us how to lament without fear,
to wait without losing hope,
and to trust You even when answers feel far away.
Meet us in our sorrow.
Hold us steady in the waiting.
Remind us that You are near to the brokenhearted
and faithful in every season.
We place our grief before You,
and we wait,
not alone, but with You.
Amen.
The Prayer Porch 