One morning, after spending a rough night at a women’s shelter, a homeless woman (who did odd jobs for the retail shop I managed), entered our store in Washington D.C. and banged her fist on the counter exclaiming:
“Why aren’t things the way they’re supposed to be!”
Indeed. 
Any of us might say this same thing after driving through heavy, erratic traffic on the way to an important obligation, reading or hearing alarming headlines, or experiencing a serious family or workplace disruption.
If these things rouse anger and frustration in our souls, then what about major atrocities like those occurring in times of war? Here’s what Solomon (the wisest of kings) said:
What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV
A friend from the Middle East recently recounted eyewitness scenes of almost unimaginable, random, public brutality, continuing in Syria – a country reportedly in the process of restoration after years of war. But, as Solomon observed, such events have occurred throughout human (or more accurately), inhuman history.
It’s almost trite to add that it’s normal to feel anger when imperfect political decisions, niggling inefficiencies, mechanical failures and health problems work against us. Even more frustrating is knowing “new and improved” processes, inventions and treatments may further disappoint us.
Too much of this life is unfair – Grrrrrr!
Inevitably there are points where anger over some of these earthly events or issues threatens to get the best of us. To save sanity, men and women, faithful to the God of Creation, have often implemented the spiritual practice of lamentation as illustrated below.
As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Luke 19:41-44 NIV
Notice in this prayer, Jesus didn’t ask His Father to “fix” anything. It doesn’t mean he was passive about what he saw. He wept over the inevitable — those who fail to recognize and even resist Him as their savior, have peace hidden from their eyes. As a result, they experience tragedies that could have been avoided.
Action: Vocalize or write your own lament prayer to our Heavenly Father using a situation that is currently causing you frustration, sadness, or anger. Using Jesus’ prayer above as a guide, don’t ask Him to fix it, but let Him deepen your understanding of His perspective.
by Kathleen Petersen
