Walking With God Through CancerSample

Day 3: Seeing Strength in Vulnerability

Lament is a seldom-used word. Collins Dictionary says that someone's lament is an expression of their sadness, regret, or disappointment about something.

I believe a lament is the cry of a heart reaching out to God in a way that conveys profound pain that defies any other form of expression. In these moments, God intimately understands our suffering. Through lament, we express our pain and glimpse God’s heart—His profound empathy for our struggles and His unwavering love and grace.

Amid deep lament, experiencing hope can be difficult for us. The physical and emotional pain we feel from this disease can obscure our view of God’s promises. Yet it’s essential to remember that God works through every situation, and lament is never fruitless. Think of a diamond, which must endure intense pressure to emerge beautiful and pure. Similarly, God is at work in our pain, refining us through the pressure of lament. In His refinement, we find hope.

We often find it easy to suppress our emotions, hiding them away like the squirrels in my backyard hoarding food. But we can’t be afraid to embrace our lament. The Bible tells of many people who lamented openly. Through their honest cries, God worked and transformed their lives. When we allow ourselves to lament, we seize an opportunity to connect deeply with God, who opens a channel and goes to work in our lives. As David did in many psalms, we can come to grips with our emotions and cast them to our loving heavenly Father in the crucible of lament.

Remember the death of Lazarus (John 11)? When Jesus arrived and found Lazarus dead, He didn’t immediately fix the situation, even though He had the power to do so. Instead, He took time to lament and weep with His friends and family. By lamenting, we follow Jesus’s example, allowing God to work through our pain and lead us to His love, mercy, and compassion.

As we navigate the challenges of cancer, we can embrace moments of lament. We can cry out to God with our pain, knowing He hears and understands. Our tears can be signs that we trust God enough to bring our deepest sorrows before Him. In our laments, God is working, refining our spirits, and preparing us for the hope He has for us.

Lament is not a sign of weakness but a step toward healing. In our moments of vulnerability, God’s strength is made perfect. We can allow ourselves to fully experience our pain and sorrow and trust that God is with us every step of the way. Through lament, we will find hope, and in that hope, we will uncover the strength to persevere through cancer’s challenges.

A CLOSING THOUGHT

As we grapple with cancer, we can find solace in God’s presence and hope in His promises. We can lament deeply, but also look forward with hope, knowing that God is at work.

REFLECTION

Psalms 42 is a psalm of lament. It freely expresses the psalmist’s inner thoughts and feelings.

• What does it mean to you to pour out your soul to God?
• How does studying these psalms help you open up to God and others about your feelings?
• The psalmist turns to God with his sorrow. Take time to journal your genuine feelings about your circumstances and your openness to God’s leading and help.