Misery to Music--Lament Study Intro

I am a chronic complainer.  When my feelings are hurt--real or perceived--my first instinct is to pout.  When I want something and it's not getting here as fast as I wish, I'm griping.  When someone mistreats me or--God forbid--my kids, I'm ready to lash out.  Some of you, my most trusted confidants, are thinking "These people have no idea how much truth she is speaking right now!!" 😅 I am thankful for those I can run to and let carry the weight of my complaint.  But it's only for a while.  Imperfectly.  My friends, my husband,  my kids,  my hairdresser, or the checker at the grocery store can't solve my problems.  They can help, they can listen, they can pick my side, they can even try to calm my complaining by pointing out the bitter truth of my sin.  But they can't ultimately solve my bent toward griping because they are human, too. My complaints only add to the weights they carry of their own, and it's too much.  The release we feel as we unload our discontent is replaced with resentment because they can't offer a resolution. We inevitably let each other down.  It's painful. But it's also a gift.  

Lament means to "to mourn, to express grief and regret".  It is misery.  I chose to write this study as I watched our world "lament" what's happening around us.  "I wish we could go back to the good old days!"  "What is this world coming to??" "What kind of world are we leaving for our kids and grandkids?"  And I feel every last bit of these questions to my core.  We can grieve every shocking story we read as we chat with our coworkers.  We can mourn the loss of innocence and sanity as we talk on the phone to our friends.  We can express regret,  as we stand in line at the grocery store, for wrong choices made by those in authority.  As we hash over shared views, lament can be disorienting.  I may say "This argument over fill in the blank is crazy!" And then someone else may say "It is so crazy, and I heard this happened too!"  Then I say "What?? Well that makes sense now because THIS happened, too!"  Soon we are both more mad, defeated, resentful, and sad than when we started. 

 Lamenting God's Way is a gift.  According to Pastor Colin Smith, "Lament should be the chief way Christians process grief in God's presence.  Because many Christians have grown up in churches that insist on looking on the bright side, lament can be jarring." Lament according to the Bible should be reorienting instead of disorienting. It should focus our minds and our hearts on the only One who CAN bring resolution.  So, we will spend the next four weeks learning how to properly lament.  Our laments may never change the way the world is going, but it will change our focus.  Our  main verses this week will shine a light on 4 key purposes of lament.

"So we called out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and the LORD heard our cry and saw our misery, hardship and oppression.  Then the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with terrifying power, and with signs and wonders. He led us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  I have now brought the first of the land's produce that you, LORD, have given me." Deuteronomy 26:7-10

Mike (my husband) teased me about the subject of lament for a summer study. (and some of you have had to suffer through me griping about him 😅) He said "That ought to be an uplifting subject.  A laugh a minute!" But I think as we work through it, it will bring the best news we could ever hope for!!  As we cry out (1), our cries targeted toward God (2), as we express our grief and regret (3)---we will SING! (4) We will return a gift of praise, our first reaction to God who gives the best gifts.  God will turn our misery into music.  In His beautiful, perfect time.