ROOTED RENEGADE

I had the most humbling experience Friday night that still has me so overwhelmed with emotion. Members of various organizations and churches came together to lament and pray before a Holy God over the spa shootings that took place in Atlanta. It was such a move of the Spirit to God and so powerful to see people gathered on behalf of survivors of the sex industry and the Asian Community.

One thing I deeply felt was the lamenting of hearts trying to make sense of tragedy as well as sin in the broken world in which we live.

This morning, the Holy Spirit just kept giving me the word “lament” so I started studying it and I was reminded by him that grief was familiar to Him and the Father. After all, Jesus demonstrated it over Lazarus in John 11:33-35 when He showed His humanity. he felt the sting of grief and sorrow in His heart even though He knew that He was going to resurrect Lazarus in front of the people and His friends. We all know the verse “Jesus wept” (v. 35), yet do we actually take time to sit with it and understand that the Messiah truly can sympathize and empathize with our pain?

Our pain that often says, “it’s not fair”, “they died too soon”, “I wasn’t ready for them to go”, and even the cries like Martha and Mary had in verse 32 “if you would have been here sooner he wouldn’t have died!”. We have all questioned and blamed God for tragedy and death. Bearing pain too deep for us to hold alone (even though many of us continue to try).

It is also familiar because Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins and to remove the sting of death, setting us completely free. There was grief for God in having to turn His back on His son not he cross while He bore all of our wretched sin as Jesus cried from the cross in lament: “Father, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34), not because of what He had done, but because of our sin and his broken heart.

But understand that before the cross, there was beauty demonstrated all through the Bible in lamenting is prayer. Which started in the Old Testament with crying out to God repenting of sins and at times there was complaint as well. Jesus comes in and certainly shows us another side of lament when He thanks God for hearing His prayers as He prays for Lazarus to come to life again!

He gives us an example of how we should pray in our sorrow and grief, with thanksgiving and praise. Yes David in the Psalms also gives us examples of how to lament as well as King Jehoshapat in 2 Chronicles 20:12 when it comes to facing an army that is too big to fight. Jesus how’s us how to lament in a way that first honors God for who He is – which is Holy – and recognizes that prayers are indeed heard. Secondly, His prayer shows that God’s will is to demonstrate His glory so that others will believe, not for selfish gain and desires. It is so His plan and purpose will come forth on “the earth as it is in Heaven” – not ours.

How often do we push our agendas even in our lamenting? Are we not called to be sons and daughters that bring honor and glory to the most High God?

So my question is this….(and I felt this as I wrote it) What are you lamenting over before a Holy God?

Are you repenting for sin and recognizing that your repentance will lead to salvation because the cross paid for your sin?

-OR-

Are you praying those “Hail Mary” prayers thinking that will get you into heaven standing right before a Holy God?

I challenge you to get into prayer and into the Scriptures. See how deeply you are loved by Jesus and how he demonstrated that love again, and again, and again!

Second, read about lamenting in these passages: Psalm 130:1, Mark 14:36, Psalm 3:6, 2 Chronicles 20:12, Matthew 3:8, Acts 2:38, James 5;1, 2 Corinthians 7:10, and 2 Corinthians 5:21

Lastly remember that we all fall short of the glory of God…which is why there was the cross! If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior I encourage you to do so and reach out or find someone local who can help you walk through that process.

Jesus leaves the 99 for the 1 and that 1 is you!

I leave you with the words of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11-12 “I indeed baptize you with water to repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean His floor and gather His wheat into the granary, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

© Grace 12 LLC Faythe Kadona