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The biblical authors of Lamentations and Psalms invite us to express our grief, anger, and sadness to God. But this is hard. It's so much easier to either avoid pain with numbing distractions or vent out frustrations without ever bringing them to God. But he is patient. He understands how painful our situations are, and he cares and grieves with us. Today, let's practice grieving with him.
Bible Reading: Lamentations 3:22-33
Reflection Questions:
- What is one specific area you are grieving right now? Notice the sensations you experience as you think about it and take a moment to express each feeling to God.
- Now continue your prayer to God by asking him to show his compassion toward your painful situation.
- While you wait on God's answer to your prayers, imagine giving Jesus the weight of your grief and concerns now. What does it look like as he carries it? What do you imagine him doing to show his compassion in your situation?
Show Credits: Host: Cheree Hayes Message: Dr. Carissa Quinn Production and Bible Reading: Dan Gummel Theme music: Grant William Harold Background Music: Marshall Usinger, Fluttering
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Reflect
Once you've listened to the podcast, take time to reflect on these questions.
- What is one specific area you are grieving right now? Notice the sensations you experience as you think about it and take a moment to express each feeling to God.
- Now continue your prayer to God by asking him to show his compassion toward your painful situation.
- While you wait on God’s answer to your prayers, imagine giving Jesus the weight of your grief and concerns now. What does it look like as he carries it? What do you imagine him doing to show his compassion in your situation?
Go Deeper
If you would like to dive deeper, use these Scriptures and questions for personal study or small group discussion.
Message Question:
How did Carissa’s message challenge or encourage you today?
Read: Lamentations 3:19-33
The biblical authors of books like Lamentations and the Psalms invite us to express our hard feelings to God. But this in and of itself is hard. It’s so much easier to avoid pain. It’s tempting to numb out with distractions or to ventilate our frustrations with others without ever bringing it to God. But he is patient with us. He understands how painful our situations can be. He cares and grieves with us. Let’s reflect on this.
- Review Lamentations 3:19-20. Jeremiah was honest about the pain he suffered and intentionally remembered it. When you or someone you know is feeling down, what are some ways you can acknowledge the grief?
- Review Lamentations 3:21-27. What did Jeremiah specifically remember about God in order to keep hope in the midst of his pain?
- How does remembering these truths about God’s good, faithful, and loving character bring hope to your own sufferings?
- Consider the reality of today’s verses, which highlight hope but are set in the middle of a long list of gut-wrenching laments. What do you think happens if we ignore sorrow and only hold on to hope? What happens when we disregard all hope and only acknowledge pain? What are some new ways you and your community can practice lament and hope?