The profound shock and grief
suffered in Uvalde, Texas has spread across the country and to the world in a
river of tears and sorrow. We find ourselves bowed over wrestling for words at
the loss of these precious children and their teachers. As the days have gone
on, more information only compounds our grief.
Mr. Webster defines lament as “a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.” As many have written, the church in recent times has not been all that great at lament. Often, we want to skip on past and paste a promise on the situation. But we see Biblical writers often turn to lament. In fact, almost forty percent of the Psalms are categorized this way. There is no short cut around grief and lament is part of the process.
This tragedy is especially challenging when you're dealing with other losses. I found this true back in 2001 when my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in late August, and then 911 unfolded in September. All the grief seemed to get tangled together, which I found others also experienced during a discussion with a hospice chaplain.
I've found it a blessing to borrow scriptural utterances others have penned to give voice to deep sorrow. Perhaps,
you will as well.
When I went to the Psalms in my
Bible, I found many laments underlined. A few are:
· -- “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From
the ends of the earth, I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me
to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1-2). The deaths of so many
children make us feel as if we are at the end of the earth—somewhere desolate and forgotten. The pain causes us to wonder
if our heart will stop, and we are amazed that it continues to beat at all. The
Psalmist cries out to God to lead him to the rock. Our rock is Jesus, and oh,
how we pray to have our quivering knees and stumbling feet planted in the immovable
presence of who he is.
· --“My soul is weary with sorrow, strengthen me
according to your word” (Psalm 119:28). We are dragging around, and fatigue dogs
our heels. Grief can make us want to assume an in-utero position. But the
Psalmist points us to what will bring power and to that which cannot be lost
which is God’s unchanging truth.
· --“My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt
me, saying to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ Why are you downcast, O my soul: Why so disturbed
within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my
God” (Psalm 42:5). In these days, many have asked, “Where is your God?” The
question of why God allows suffering, pain, and destruction has been addressed
by greater minds that mine, so I will point you in the direction of C.S Lewis
and The Problem of Pain. But even in the face of questions, we continue
to hope and believe that our hearts will return to joy—that what
happened on a Tuesday in Texas is not the final word. I don’t know how it will
happen, but I continue to pray along with the Psalmist that we will “yet praise
Him.”
It is from a book entirely given to
lament, that we find a strong word of hope, “Because of the Lord’s great love
we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every
morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
As the earth completes one more rotation,
we turn our grieving hearts to the One whose compassion is unparalleled and
whose faithfulness is undaunted. We find the strength we need for that day and the
same will be true for the day after that.
We continue in prayer for the
families and friends of the dear ones lost in Uvalde, for the town, and for
our country.
Lord, hear our cry.
Beverly Varnado is the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon. A memoir, Faith in the Fashion District, from Crosslink Publishing is also available as well as her other books, Give My Love to the Chestnut Trees and Home to Currahee. She also has an Etsy Shop, Beverly Varnado Art.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
Beverly Varnado copyright 2022