Recently I was reading about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his example of lament. He was an amazing person who knew how to fight justly, with diligence, faith, and hope. We need more of us like him in our world today and we can start by learning how to lament.
Lament is not despair. It is not whining. It is not crying into a void. Lament is a cry directed to God. It is the cry of those who see the truth of the world’s deep wounds and the cost of seeking peace. It is the prayer of those who are deeply disturbed by the way things are.
It’s like when Martin Luther King, Jr. cried out from his kitchen table after hearing yet another death threat: “Lord, I’m down here trying to do what’s right…. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now, I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. Now, I am afraid…. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.”
Lord, let me always turn to You.
Smitten With Goodness 