Lament

January 15, 2018

DAILY READING

Psalm 86:1-4

This weekend’s reading: Daniel 3:13-30

FIELD NOTES
Many years ago, I attended a woman’s retreat in the snowy mountains of South Korea. The keynote speaker was a dynamic woman named Esther Fleece, unknown to me, but deeply passionate about the message God had given her. She began the retreat with one word: lament. She shared about the hard times that she had endured in her life, and how she often felt that her only response to God was lament, what she described as “a passionate expression of grief that God meets you in.”

We all have experienced grief in some way. The causes of grief among us are vast, but we may find similarities in the way that we are able to not only express this grief, but how we reach out to and meet God. This week, we will spend time in the book of Psalms, which just so happens to be full of lamenting. Whether you are currently in a place of grief or not, the expressions of grief that David/other psalmist have penned are universal in that they cry out for humanity’s deep need for God. We are poor and needy, but God meets us where we are.

QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD

• Have you ever been through a time or period when all you wanted to do was lament/complain?
• How did it make you feel?

FAMILY FIELD TALK

• Have you ever felt sad or lonely?
• How did you handle it or what did you do?
• What ways can we turn to God in our sadness?

PRAYER GUIDE
“Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God.”