If you have ever experienced the liberating feeling of the “ugly cry,” you know why lament is important! It is a prayer that gives voice to pain and suffering. We cry over what is broken within us and in the world around us. We call on God for deliverance, justice and mercy. We put difficult questions before God: Why?  How long? Where are You?

The most famous lament of the Bible comes from Jesus on the cross and is a recitation of Psalm 22—one of 60 Psalms of lament!  He cries in Matthew 27:46 (NIV),“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” Like Christ, we can trust God even with our darkest feelings. We can tell God everything that is wrong with the world. And we can trust God to respond to our need for Him in our darkest hour.  In the process, we open the door to His grace and healing.