Lamentation is the communication of feelings of grief, along with a petition to God for help. Lament finds its roots in the bible and God is revealed as a compassionate comforter. Though lament was written about centuries ago, it hasn’t been completely done away with and can be found in churches today. There are seven categories that make up lament, and fall into the category of prayer.
What is lament? The hardest part of weeping and mourning is identifying that you are doing so. What is lament according to scripture? How can you find comfort in your sorrow if you don’t know what makes you sorrowful? Read on and discover the answers to these questions and more as we discuss biblical answers on lament.
Bible Verses About Lamenting
Psalm 71:1-6 “In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In Your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; incline Your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, a fortress to which I may continually resort; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.” Psalm 42:5-6 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” Psalms 25:16 “Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted” (NIV)
The Bible is full of passages that describe lamenting. Here are some examples:
Psalm 22:1-2: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?”
Isaiah 42:24-25: “Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the plunderers? Did not he who made us in secret and fashioned us in the womb make them as well? Did not he form us in the image of his own being?”
Isaiah 63:1-6: “Who is this coming from Edom, with garments dyed crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? Why are your garments red like those of one treading grapes?”
Job 3:21: Why do you argue with me? Why do you contend against me?
Job 7:1: Then Job replied, “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.
Ecclesiastes 3:22: What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Lamentations 1:1-6
How lonely sits the city
that was full of people!
How like a widow she has become,
she that was great among the nations!
She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal.
She weeps bitterly in the night, with her tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude; she lives now among the nations, where she finds no resting place; her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of distress.#endQuote
Lamentations 3:19-26
“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.”
Psalm 37:7-9
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evildoing.”
Isaiah 57:15
“For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.'”
Prayer Of Lament
Lament is a prayer of repentance, confession, and supplication. It is a prayer that acknowledges our sinfulness and expresses the desire to change. The Bible speaks of how God uses our lament as a gift to him (Romans 8:26-27). When we humble ourselves before God and express our deepest feelings about our sinfulness, he can use this to bring about change in us.
Lament is a form of prayer in which we express our deepest pain and sorrow. Lament is a way to express the depth of our grief, to name our pain, and to share it with God.
Lament is an ancient biblical tradition that has been practiced for thousands of years. It’s an important part of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian worship.
In the Bible, we see many examples of lament in both the Old Testament and New Testament. In fact, one of the most powerful examples is found in Psalm 22:1-31 where David laments his own suffering: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1).
Lament is a form of prayer that expresses grief and sorrow. In the Bible, lament is found in Psalms 4:1–2; 22:1–2; 69:2–3; 89:46; 102:1–4; 107:1–3; 110:1–10; Jonah 2:8–9; Habakkuk 3:17; Matthew 26:38.
Lament is also used to describe mourning over something that has happened or someone who has died (Ecclesiastes 12:5).
The name for God in Psalm 22 (in Hebrew) is Elohim-hayim, meaning “God of life.” This was one of the names used by God when He appeared to Moses at Mount Horeb (Exodus 3:14). It is also used in Isaiah 25:8 and Jeremiah 16:19 and translated as “God our Savior.”
Praying for God’s help is a natural response to a stressful situation. But what if things don’t get better? What if the pain you’re experiencing is so intense that it blocks the light of God from reaching you?
The prayer of lament is an ancient form of prayer that addresses God in times of darkness and despair. It is similar to the Psalms, which are often considered “prayers of lament.” In fact, many people think that Psalm 13 is one of the best examples of how to pray when life seems hopeless.
A lament is a song of sorrow, often expressing an emotion of grief. Laments are expressed in a wide variety of human cultures. They are formal expressions of grief in organized ceremonies, as well as the informal expression of grief by individuals.
Lamenting is a form of behavior that has been observed in animals such as ants, bees and monkeys. Lamentation may serve many functions including purging, group bonding and aiding in conflict resolution. In humans, it may serve a religious function or be a form of therapy – either private or public.
What Is Lament
In the Old Testament, lament is often found in response to suffering or oppression. The Psalms are full of laments, and they were written as a form of prayer.
Lament has been defined as “a prayerful expression of grief” (Bender and Buechner).
What is lamentation? It is an expression of sorrow or grief. In the Bible, it is a cry to God for help when we feel that we have no hope on our own. It can also be used in response to a tragedy or loss in life.
The prayer of lament is a petition to God in which we acknowledge our sin and cry out in repentance. It is a cry from the heart of a repentant sinner to God, who alone can hear and answer our cries.
Lamentation is an important part of the Christian life. It should be part of our daily prayer life, but it also has its place in corporate worship.
The Psalms are full of prayers of lament. The psalmists frequently cried out to God because they had been wounded by their enemies or because they were suffering unjustly at the hands of others. They lamented over their sufferings and asked God to intervene on their behalf.
A lament is a song or poem that expresses grief or mourning, often in the form of a conversation between the singer and the subject of their lament. The “lame” in “lament” comes from the Latin verb lambō, which means “to lament.” In this sense, it is similar to what we see in Psalms 44:23-24 where David says: “But now thus says the Lord that created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.” In this way, lament is also related to repentance. When we repent of our sin against God, we are expressing grief over our actions and asking forgiveness from Him.
Lament is a form of song, poetry or dance that expresses grief, sorrow and a chorus of complaints. It is intended to express pain or grief, and often accompanies funerals or memorials. The expression of lamentation by the leader is not necessarily a public display of grief by the community but rather an opportunity for personal reflection on the loss of a loved one.
The Hebrew Bible contains laments in certain places such as the book of Psalms, where there are five specific types of laments: religious, political, social, personal and communal. These different types have been used by ancient Israelites as well as modern Jews to grieve over death and other tragedies in life.
Lament is a musical expression of grief, often in music and song. The word lament comes from the Latin word lamentare, which means “to keen” or “to express grief by wailing”. Thus, laments are an expression of grief, often for death and other forms of loss.
Laments can be found in many religions and folklore traditions. They are used in different cultures to express an individual’s grief through music and/or song. Lamentation is also a genre of Christian music.
In Western Christianity, the most common type of lament is the funeral lament, which is sung at funerals to express grief for the deceased person. Examples of funeral laments include:
Bereavement laments – sung at funerals in Judaism
Dirge – poem or song expressing grief
Funeral march – slow march played at funerals
Jingle bell – played on Christmas Eve in some regions of Europe (see carol)