Part 7: Lament

Online Retreats

This is Part 7 of our Let the Thirsty Come retreat series, which highlights different aspects of spending extended quality time with God.

In this retreat we seek to bring our griefs and sorrows to the Lord and cry out to him. We are not only invited and welcomed to do so by our good Father, but we are also given clear examples of how to do so in the lament psalms.

Retreat Activities

This retreat consists of 4 sections: Preparation, Lament, Listening, and Response. Each section may take you around 30 to 60 minutes. Don’t be concerned if a section takes longer or shorter to complete.

Preparation

The goal of this section is to slow down, get in touch with how you are doing, and consider what biblical lament is.

Transition Activities (choose one or more)

Morning Liturgy – Use this liturgy to transition and commit your time to the Lord.

Listen and Sing – As this retreat involves bringing your heart emotions to God, it can be helpful to slow down and intentionally connect with how you are doing and feeling. Music is often helpful in this process. Listen to and sing along with a couple songs that help you set your eyes on Jesus. Songs that express sincere heart longings may be more helpful than upbeat praise. We recommend limiting yourself to no more than 2 or 3 songs. Below are a few songs that we have recently found helpful, but we strongly recommend that you use whichever songs are personally meaningful to you.

Possible Songs:

  • “From the Depths of Woe” – by Indelible Grace Music
  • “He Will Hold Me Fast” – by Shane and Shane
  • “I Will Trust My Savior Jesus” – by CityAlight
  • “O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer” – by Sovereign Grace Music
  • “Lord from Sorrows Deep I Call” – by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa
  • “Is He Worthy?” – by Andrew Peterson

Go for a Short Walk – Take 10 to 15 minutes just to go for a walk with the Lord. This can be a time of silence and rest, or a time of prayer.

Main Activity

What is Lament – Read one of the following posts in order to start exploring the topic of biblical lament:

  • Introduction to Lament – This is a short post that we put together in order to summarize the core aspects of biblical lament as modeled in the lament psalms.
  • Lament Leads to Praise – A slightly longer article by Mark Vroegop, author of the book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy.

Lament

While only one main activity is given in this section, there are some different possibilities and options within that activity.

Main Activity

Praying Difficult Emotions – This activity walks you through connecting with how you are doing, exploring the lament psalms, and using individual psalms as templates for to crying out to the Lord.

Listen

In this process of pouring out our griefs and sorrows, it is vital that we hear from the Lord and ground ourselves in what he says is true. Take unrushed time to meditate on his Word in this section.

Transition Activity

Ideas for Rest – Take a break for a few minutes before starting the next activity.

Main Activity

Scripture Meditation – Use one of the Scripture meditation activities introduced in previous retreats (Sitting with a Text, Walking with a Text, Time with a Text, Journaling with a Text, or Imagining with a Text).

Possible Scriptures for meditation:

  • Psalm 13 – How long, O Lord?… But I have trusted in your steadfast love
  • Psalm 10:12-18 – Oh Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted
  • 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 – My grace is sufficient for you
  • John 12:23-28 – Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone
  • Matthew 5:2-12 – Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
  • Lamentations 3 – The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases (scan verses 13 to 39 and choose a short portion that you would like to meditate on)

Response

Use this final section to respond to the Lord and to rest in him.

Transition Activity

Ideas for Rest – Take a break for a few minutes before starting the next activity.

Main Activities (choose any)

Creative Response – Creative and artistic expression can be very helpful as we bring emotions to the Lord and as we dwell on his truth. Consider using this activity as either a prayer or a way of helping you continue to process with the Lord.

Liturgies – There are many liturgies that can help us both express our hearts to the Lord and ground ourselves in him as our refuge and strength. Consider using one of the liturgies below or exploring some of the liturgies available online.

  • Cease Striving
  • From The Valley of Vision: “Continual Repentance,” “Peril,” “Weaknesses,” “Voyage,” “Refuge,” or “The Servant in Battle”
  • Liturgies of the Moment from Every Moment Holy, Volume 2: Death, Grief, and Hope

Journal – Take some time to journal your thoughts, reflections, or prayers. Is there anything that you want to remember or hold on to from this time spent with God?

Walk with the Lord – Go outside to a place you enjoy, where you can see the beauty of God’s creation. Walk slowly with your heart set on your good God and Savior. Dwell on the love of God for you and the unshakable hope in him as your Father. Rest your heart in God and turn it to him in trust and love. This can be a time of prayer, speaking to God about these things, or a time of stillness, a restful heart trusting the goodness of your Savior.

When You Have Extra Time – A few additional possibilities for restful time with God.

Closing Activity (optional, choose one)

Closing Reflection and Prayer – Use this activity to bring together the key themes from your retreat and to close in prayer.

Closing Liturgy – Write a short liturgy that will help you over the coming days to remember and dwell on the key themes from this retreat.

Example Retreats

These activities can be done in two short, 1-hour retreats, or as a single 2- to 3-hour retreat. All of the following are just suggestions – change them and customize them with activities you find most helpful.

Short Retreat, Part 1

Short Retreat, Part 2

Two- to Three-Hour Retreat

Tips and Reminders

God Welcomes the Needy and Broken

Remember in this retreat that God welcomes the weak and the needy to come to him. He tells us that we may draw near to him with confidence to find the grace and the mercy needed, whatever our situation. This has profound impact in this retreat focused on lament.

First, it frees us from hiding or denying what’s really going on in our hearts and our lives. Be honest with yourself about how you are really doing and what you are really feeling. It does no good to hide these things from ourselves or from God. As we come lamenting, there is the steadfast promise of mercy, grace, and hope. We may even need to be honest that there are emotions and situations that we have buried and never really dealt with. The goal of this retreat is not to go digging, and it is not to manufacture any specific emotion. But as we are honest with ourselves, there may be times where we need to come to God with previously unresolved grief.

Second, God promises to infuse our lament with the spirit of hope. Our hope is not that, by using lament as some sort of psychological tool, we will fix ourselves. Our hope is that there is a real God, a real Father who is both good and strong beyond our comprehension. And our Father promises to meet us, promises to act on behalf of his people, and promises to give grace and mercy to those who come to him in need.

Since God welcomes you to come and invites you to come – come honestly, and come in hope.

Don’t Journey Alone

Jesus designed his body to be interdependent. We have brothers and sisters in Christ in order that we might rejoice together and weep together – that we might bear one another’s burdens and sorrows. We strongly recommend that, after your time of retreat, you connect with another trusted brother or sister in Christ and share with them about your time in lament and with the Lord.

Along these lines, if there are situations and emotions that are exceedingly difficult and overwhelming to you, and you feel stuck despite bringing these things honestly to the Lord, we encourage you to seek help. Depending on the situation, this may be the help of a trusted friend you can talk with, a pastor or leader in your church, or Christian counselor. Part of the purpose of being one body in Christ is that Jesus uses the different members to bring his love, strength, and hope to one another.

Lament is Not a One Time Event

God can work powerfully through even a single time spent with him. However, the nature of our griefs and the broken situations we face often means that we need to come and cry out many times to God. Sometimes grief comes in waves or in specific seasons. Also, if you face many difficult situations or many difficult emotions, you may only be able to deal with one of these at a time. So come and cry out to the Lord, and keep coming. Keep journeying with others. Keep hoping. His grace is sufficient for however often and however many griefs we face over the days, months, and years.

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