A Moment With Pastor Fred

Humans cry. Christians lament.

The book, Dark Clouds – Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop has been a tremendous blessing to me.  Mark is a pastor and writes with a shepherd’s heart. He himself has been subject to the vicious nature of tragic loss – the unwelcomed presence of pain. And he shares his grief – but more importantly he shares what to do about it. Welcome to the world of lament.

Lament is something new to me. I mean I heard the word – knew there was a book called Lamentations. I knew that nearly one third of the psalms were those of lament, but never quite understood how it all fit until recently. Lament is a song in the minor key – it is a song we never would want to sing and yet God has much to teach us thru our suffering. Thankfully, God gives us permission to wrestle with sorrow instead of rushing to the end of it. I have come to see lament as a helpful gift from the Lord. Without lament we will have a difficult time processing pain. How unfortunate we tend to offer trite solutions or unhelpful comments to those suffering. Lament is different, it is how Christians are to grieve.

To lament is the honest cry of a heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness. It is a statement of faith – a prayer of trust. Lament invites us to turn our gaze from the rubble of life to the Redeemer of every hurt. If you’re looking to go deeper in your walk with God, if you’re longing for help amid a trial yourself or trying to help someone who is, I recommend this book. Life does have its dark clouds, but thankfully there is deep mercy available through Jesus Christ.