At an Optometrist's office: "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."
2. In a Podiatrist's office: "Time wounds all heels."
3. On a Plastic Surgeon's Office door: "Hello. Can we pick your nose?"
4. At a Towing company: "We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want your tows."
5. On an Electrician's truck: "Let us remove your shorts."
6. In a Non-smoking Area: "If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and put you out."
7. On a Septic Tank Truck sign: "We're #1 in the #2 business."
8. At a Car Dealership: "The best way to get back on your feet -- miss a car payment."
9. Outside a Muffler Shop: "No appointment necessary. We hear you coming."
10. At the Electric Company: "We would be delighted if you send in your payment. However, if you don't, you will be de-Lighted."
11. On a Plumber's Shop: "We repair what your husband fixed."
If God had an office…What kind of sign would He have? Maybe it would say: “Can’t fix what isn’t broken.”
Often in our society and in the church we think being broken, having struggles and needing help is a terrible, horrible thing. It is not! Often God needs us to go through life’s valleys before we can reach the mountain top.
We see the Psalms as songs as worship. When we think of worship we think of praise, shouting for joy, praising God for all the good in our lives. But did you know that about 60 of 150 psalms are laments? What’s a lament?
A lament is: A type of psalm in which the speaker in the poem defines a crisis and invokes God for help.
Five ingredients are usually present in a biblical lament psalm:
1. invocation or cry to God;
2. definition of the crisis (which the psalmists often call a complaint);
3. petition to God to deliver;
4. statement of confidence in God;
5. vow to praise God.
These lament poems are occasional poems, that means they arise from a specific event in an individual’s or nation’s life. For example:
1. Psalm 3 was written when David fled from his Son Absalom.
2. Psalm 51 was written after the prophet Nathan confronted David on his affair with Bathsheba
3. Psalm 54 was written when David was hiding from King Saul
4. Psalm 60 was written after David had been defeated in a military attack.
5. And so on!
When you see that about 40% of the Psalms were laments and if you consider the Book of Psalms to be the Israelite’s song book for worship you may begin to wonder why we don’t have more laments in our hymnals and worship choruses.
I love our hymns and modern choruses, but when you look in the hymnal and new songs there is not much for laments. The ones I did find in the hymnal were under the heading funerals.
When I used the criteria of a lament I found two, possibly 3 hymns; Abide with me, Does Jesus care and Love Lifted me. A modern day song would be Blessed be your name when the worlds all as it should be. Now there may be more, but when you line them up to the psalms even these ones may not be complete laments.
All the rest seemed to be more third person or focused more on solution like; God will take care of you, He giveth more grace and No one understands like Jesus. Remember that a lament arises from a specific event in an individual’s or nation’s life. And it includes: a cry to God; definition of the crisis; a petition to God to deliver; a statement of confidence in God; and vow to praise God.
The laments in the Psalms started out with a plea and went on to share the struggle. Most of our music goes right to the answer, Jesus is the answer, there should be no struggle, it will pass. However, Biblically, we need to voice our struggles and pleas to God.
I love reading some of the old spirituals from the cotton fields of the south. Many of these old spirituals included laments and rightfully so because of the atrocities of the slave trade.
One of the old Spirituals was called “I’m troubled in mind”
Oh, Jesus, my Saviour, on Thee I'll depend
When troubles are near me you'll be my true friend
I'm troubled
I'm troubled
I'm troubled in mind
If Jesus don't help me
I surely will die
When ladened with troubles and burdened with grief
To Jesus in secret I'll go for relief
In dark days of bondage to Jesus I prayed
To help me to bear it, and He gave me His aid
*END
And another one may be familiar it is called “Do Lord” and this original version is different than the way I learned it. They have since changed the words to take the focus from the problem and put it on the solution. The chorus goes:
Do Lord, do Lord
Do remember me
Do Lord, do Lord
Do remember me
Do Lord, do Lord
Do remember me
Do Lord, remember me
When I’m in trouble
Do remember me
When I’m in trouble
Do remember me
When I’m in trouble
Do remember me
Do Lord, remember me
When I’m dying
Do remember me
When I’m dying
Do remember me
When I’m dying
Do remember me
Do Lord, remember me
When this world’s on fire
Do remember me
When this world’s on fire
Do remember me
When this world’s on fire
Do remember me
Do Lord, remember me
The Version I learned as a kid went like this:
I've got a home in Gloryland that outshines the sun (oh Lordy)
I've got a home in Gloryland that outshines the sun
I've got a home in Gloryland that outshines the sun
Way beyond the blue.
Lord do you remember me. Somewhere along the way we have lost the personal lament. I think in doing do we might be missing the idea that there is and will be hard times in our lives and that it’s okay to call on God and let Him know how we are doing, feeling and even letting Him know we feel alone.
Today we are going to look at Psalm 31. This lament has been seen as more mournful than others and Spurgeon feels it was written later on in David’s life a point when his son Absalom turned on him had his people turn on him and there were many hurtful rumors flying around.
The story of Absalom conspiring against King David can be found in 2 Samuel 15. Absalom was a busy body trying to take his father down. He wanted to become a king himself. David ended up fleeing as a result. So many feel it is the backdrop for this psalm. David is at a very low point and he writes:
1 LORD, I have gone to you for safety. Don’t let me ever be put to shame. Save me, because you do what is right.
2 Pay attention to me. Come quickly to help me. Be the rock I go to for safety. Be the strong fort that saves me.
3 You are my rock and my fort. Lead me and guide me for the honor of your name.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me. You are my place of safety.
5 Into your hands I commit my very life. LORD, set me free. You are my faithful God.
6 I hate those who worship worthless statues of gods. I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and full of joy because you love me. You saw that I was hurting. You took note of my great pain.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy. You have put me in a wide and safe place.
9 LORD, show me your favor. I’m in deep trouble. I’m so sad I can hardly see. My whole body grows weak with sadness.
10 Pain has taken over my life. My years are spent in groaning. I have no strength because I’m hurting so much. My body is getting weaker and weaker.
11 My neighbors make fun of me because I have so many enemies. My friends are afraid of me. Those who see me on the street run away from me.
12 They have forgotten me. I might as well be dead. I have become like broken pottery.
13 I hear the lies many people tell about me. There is terror all around me. Many have joined together against me. They plan to kill me.
14 But I trust in you, LORD. I say, “You are my God.”
15 My whole life is in your hands. Save me from my enemies. Save me from those who are chasing me.
16 Let your face smile on me with favor. Save me because your love is faithful.
17 LORD, I have cried out to you. Don’t let me be put to shame.
But let sinners be put to shame. Let them lie silent in the grave.
18 Their lips tell lies. Let them be silenced. They speak with pride against those who do right. They make fun of them.
19 How great your goodness is! You have stored it up for those who have respect for you. While other people watch, you give it to those who run to you for safety.
20 They are safe because you are with them. You hide them from the evil plans of their enemies.
In your house you keep them safe from those who bring charges against them.
21 Give praise to the LORD. He showed me his wonderful love when my enemies attacked the city I was in.
22 I was afraid and said. “I’ve been cut off from you! But you heard my cry for your favor. You heard me when I called out to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all of you who are faithful to him! The LORD watches over the faithful. But he completely pays back those who are proud.
24 Be strong, all of you who put your hope in the LORD. Never give up.
So what does it mean for us today to embrace lament and not be ashamed of lament in our lives. 5 things!
1. Cry to God
First, it is okay to cry out to God when we are hurting, when we are in despair. Like David in Psalm 31:9 LORD, show me your favor. I’m in deep trouble. I’m so sad I can hardly see. My whole body grows weak with sadness.
You can hear the pain in David’s voice as he cries to the Lord. He is not afraid of what God will think, he knows God that is why he feels free to cry out to him.
It is often in our darkest times that God makes His presence known most clearly. He uses our sufferings and troubles to show us that He is our only source of strength. And when we see this truth we receive new hope.
2. Let God know our struggle
Second, Let God know your struggle, David did, verse 13: I hear the lies many people tell about me. There is terror all around me. Many have joined together against me. They plan to kill me.
God knows our struggles, but wants to hear it from us. Jesus prayed in His darkest hour in the garden. Jesus knew his time had come to be crucified and he prayed these words in Luke 22: 42: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Jesus is God, but His fate that day was by no means easy, He cried out to God.
3. Plead for God to deliver;
Third, there is more than a crying out, but a plea to God to deliver. Verse 7, 8: I will be glad and full of joy because you love me. You saw that I was hurting. You took note of my great pain. You have not handed me over to the enemy. You have put me in a wide and safe place.
Whether we are suffering with illness, hurts, threatened by individuals or whatever else…We can call on God for deliverance. Does it work? Have we really called on God for deliverance, are we lamenting like the Psalmist.
4. We need to Declare our confidence in God;
Fourth, we need to declare our confidence in God. For our own sake as it builds us up and for the World’s sake so they see our testimony of our confidence in God. David said in verse 19: How great your goodness is! You have stored it up for those who have respect for you. While other people watch, you give it to those who run to you for safety.
Do you have confidence in your God today? Do you believe He still hears and answers prayers? We need to declare our confidence of God to the World.
I don’t know if you remember the old Barq’s Root Beer commercial. The Vender is declaring that Barq’s has bite and a guy named Johnny comes up and is skeptical, but once he tastes it he believes. The vender shouts out after him. “You tell them Johnny, you tell the world”.
Do we have confidence in God? Does our life and actions show it? “You tell them New Hope, You tell the world of your confidence”.
5. Praise God for His goodness
Lastly, and most importantly, we need to Praise God for His goodness. Verse 21 and 23: Give praise to the LORD. He showed me his wonderful love when my enemies attacked the city I was in….
Love the LORD, all of you who are faithful to him! The LORD watches over the faithful. But he completely pays back those who are proud.
God is Good! ____________________________. All the time ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬-_____________________
We need to worship and praise God for His goodness. A conference at a old conservative church in Omaha. People were given helium filled balloons and told to release them at some point in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. Since they were so conservative, they weren't free to say "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord." All through the service balloons ascended, but when it was over 1/3 of the balloons were unreleased. We need to let your balloon go.
Conclusion:
You may be here today and you may be hurting or broken. God loves you so much. Scripture shows us how great people of the Bible struggled and were free to lament, crying out. I never mentioned this, but we need to be free to cry out to each other too. Let me close with a poem written by Joan Clifton Costner:
It’s titled, “The Broken Harp”.
In the corner, of the basement,
Stood a cobweb covered harp.
Broken now and so forsaken,
There it stood back in the dark.
No one, in the little village,
Could repair the harp again.
And, you’d never guess the music ~
Or the places it had been.
Came a ragged man a beggin’
For a place out of the cold,
He was bent and slightly limpin’.
He was lookin’ frail and old.
So, the houseman gave permission.
He could sleep upon the floor
Of the basement, where was kept
The harp - with melody no more.
Soon, the house was filled with music!
’Twas as sweet as angels bring.
And, the household came a-runnin’,
Just to see the vibrant strings!
Dusted now, it stood in beauty.
Every web was cleared away.
And, the ragged man was singing
Very softly as he played.
In his song, he told the story
How he’d made that harp, when new.
Since he’d made its first beginning,
Fixing wasn’t hard to do.
Dear friend, if you are needing
Just a touch from God above,
Just remember Who has made you.
He can "fix" you with His love.
He can fill the empty corners
Of your heart with song anew.
He can take each day and make
A special melody for you!
He can fix the broken pieces,
Better even than before,
And open wide the storehouse
Of His blessing evermore! Let us pray!
