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My first blog post was January 1, 2013. I call my blog To Enjoy God, and for 10 years I have been writing about how God loves us and wants us to be happy. That idea moves me, stimulates me and keeps me going from day to day. That idea is on almost every page of the Bible, if you look hard enough. But there is another concept found throughout scripture that most of us would rather ignore for the most part, including me, and that is LAMENT. Many times a season of lament is the dark tunnel that people have to go through before they come out into the sunlight of God’s peace and joy.

This year I want to write about lament, ponder lament, read laments in the Bible and elsewhere and share laments in this blog. 52 laments is my goal, one for every week. Laments that take a broad look at a dark, sinful, painful world, and laments that consider the heart of one lonely child. Laments that speak to the issues of war and violence, and laments that lean into anxiety and fear.

Lamenting is not a popular thing to do. Many don’t know exactly what a lament is. I like this definition of lament:

In a Christian context, lament refers to a passionate expression of grief, sorrow, or mourning. It is a form of prayer or song that acknowledges pain, suffering, or injustice, while also turning to God with a sense of trust and hope. Lamentations in the Bible, especially in the Psalms, exemplify this expression of deep emotion and a plea for God’s mercy and intervention in difficult circumstances. Lament is seen as a way for believers to honestly bring their struggles before God while maintaining faith in His goodness and sovereignty.

Here is my first lament offering for 2024.

In the quiet chambers of my heart, I lament, O Lord, For the brokenness that stains a world deeply scarred. A fractured landscape of pain and strife, A symphony of suffering, echoing through life.

In the quiet corners where shadows dwell, Broken dreams and stories too painful to tell. Nations at war, hearts torn apart, A reflection of a world far from Your heart.

The cries of the oppressed, the marginalized unheard, In the brokenness of systems, justice deferred. Poverty’s grip, a relentless hold, A tale of inequality, stark and bold.

Nature groans, creation in despair, Exploited and wounded, it bears and forbears. Environmental echoes of our reckless ways, In the brokenness of ecosystems, we see our strays.

In this lament, Lord, I lift my gaze, To Your mercy and love that never decays. For in the brokenness, there’s a glimmer of grace, A divine plan unfolding, a redemptive embrace.

May our hands be instruments of healing and peace, In the brokenness, may compassion increase. Restore what’s been shattered, make all things new, For in Your love, redemption breaks through.

In this lament, I send up my plea, For a world made whole, where all are free. May Your kingdom come, Your will be done, In the midst of brokenness, let Your victory be won.

Psalm 34:18 (NIV):

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

In the midst of shattered dreams and harsh realities, we turn to the assurance that God is near. His presence is a balm for the brokenhearted, and in His closeness, we find hope and reconciliation. As we lament the brokenness, may we trust in the promise that the Lord is intimately connected to those who bear the weight of a wounded world.