What is biblical lament?

2025 might not have turned out the way you hoped. The year that began with such hope and promise may have brought unexpected pain, broken relationships, loss of income, degeneration of health. As believers in the Almighty God, we have the gift of lament.

Lament is pouring our hearts to God, laying before Him all our pain and sorrow, trusting in His unfailing love, and knowing that He listens and answers.

Some Christians avoid talking about lament, fearing it might be seen as a sign of unbelief. They often believe that faith means only speaking positive words, without acknowledging the struggles and negative emotions we truly experience. And over time, they lose the language to give voice to the grief they carry – both in prayer and in worship.

Yet, lamenting in suffering is a common theme throughout the Bible.

In the Old Testament, nearly 40% of the Psalms are laments, expressing sorrow, pain, and heartfelt cries to God.

In the New Testament, we see Jesus Himself constantly bringing his suffering before God. Hebrews 5:7-9 reads: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…“

In fact, Jesus was neither a stranger to tears nor averse to crying. The Bible reveals instances of Jesus  in sorrow and lament.

He wept over the death of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35).

He wept over Jerusalem’s resistance to Him and its coming destruction. (Luke 19:41)

When faced with his upcoming death, Jesus lamented in the garden of Gethsemane: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Matthew 26:38) That night, Jesus’ distress was so intense that his sweat fell like drops of blood falling to the ground.

On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1) Here, Jesus was quoting Psalm 22, a psalm of lament.

He then quoted another psalm of lament – Psalm 31 – when He cried out: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46; Psalm 31:5) before breathing His last.

Jesus drew from the psalms of lament to give voice to His distress, pouring out His heart to the Father with complete honesty and openness.

Let us follow Jesus’ example and turn our seasons of pain and sorrow into a spiritual discipline of lament, bringing our hearts honestly before God.

Biblical lament is not just about expressing sorrow, regret, or unhappiness. Nor is it complaining or venting. Rather, it is a journey.

Lament is a journey from hurt to joy, from death to life. It is a journey that transforms us and opens the door to God’s supernatural intervention in our lives.

There are four steps of lament I want to share with you.

1. Reach out to God

“Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” (Psalm 4:1)

“Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament.” (Psalm 5:1)

“I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.

When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.” (Psalm 77:1-2)

Biblical lament is always directed to God. We turn to Him personally in our distress and need. We pour out our sorrow, anger, and confusion to Him, instead of keeping it inside.

Biblical lament goes beyond emotional release – it is an act of faith and a dialogue with God. It is reaching out to Him even when He feels far, and everything feels wrong.

1 Peter 2:23 tells us how Jesus dealt with suffering; He reached out to the Father: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

 The original Greek word for “entrusted” in the verse is written in the imperfect tense, indicating a continual or repeated action. This means that Jesus “kept entrusting Himself” to the Father, deliberately and intentionally. He kept “handing over” his suffering and pain to God.

A vivid example is found in the Garden of Gethsemane: Jesus knew that his time to go to the cross had come. He was deeply sorrowful and troubled; the pain of betrayal, the shame of humiliation, and the agony of physical torment overwhelmed Him, driving Him to great distress.

Christ in Gethsemane, by Heinrich Hoffman (1886).

So, what did Jesus do?

Matthew 26 tells us: “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'” (Matthew 26:39)

“He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.‘” (Matthew 26:4)

“So he … went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.” (Matthew 26:44)

Jesus kept turning to the Father, handing over His sufferings, continually and repeatedly. The fact that He did this repeatedly suggests He likely found no relief or assurance at first.

Maybe the voices of anxiety and anguish were loud and persistent. Perhaps the Father seemed silent, and Jesus felt a sense of distance. But that did not stop Jesus from continually reaching out to the Father.

Are you facing grief or experiencing stress this year-end? Are your relationships in trouble, or have you spent the year unsuccessfully hunting for employment?

In your lament, follow Jesus’ example and keep reaching out to God, not once, twice, but again and again. 

2. Release your pain

In Scripture, when the psalmists lament, they lay bare their whole wounded hearts. They name their suffering and hurt before God without hesitation or sugarcoating their sorrow.

The psalmists speak of bodies suffering pain and burning out: Psalm 6:2, “for my bones are in agony.”

They confess the suffocating loneliness of abandonment: Psalm 38:11, “My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away.”

They describe their panic and fear as danger presses in from every side: Psalm 56:1, “Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack.”

They cry out in shame and humiliation: Psalm 22:6, “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.”

They even voice their anger, frustration, and deep disappointment with God Himself: Psalm 13:1, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?”

These psalmists pour out unfiltered emotions to God – all their raw feelings and utterly honest thoughts. 

Can we be that honest? Yes, we can. Nothing is off-limits with God. When you bring your sorrow, your questions, even your anger to Him, it’s not a sign of unbelief – it is faith in action.

Because, why bring suffering to God if He cannot help? We release our pain to Him because, deep down, we still believe God cares, that He is listening, and He will answer.

There is no pain too deep, no sorrow too hidden, that God does not know. We can give God all our pain.

Isaiah 63:9 reveals to us that: “In all their distress he [the Spirit] too was distressed.” And we are reminded that on the cross, Jesus  “took up our pain and bore our suffering, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4,5)

3. Request boldly

After releasing their pain, the psalmists boldly ask God for intervention. When they are sick, they boldly ask for healing. “Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.” (Psalm 6:2)

When they felt abandoned by friends, they boldly asked God Himself to be their friend who never leaves. “Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.” (Psalm 22:11)

When humiliation crushed their spirits, they prayed boldly for deliverance and for dignity restored.

Psalm 35:22-24 reads:

“Do not be far from me, Lord.
Awake, and rise to my defense!
Contend for me, my God and Lord.
Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;“

Though what they were going through was painful and overwhelming, the believers consciously choose to turn to God and boldly ask.

Lament does not get stuck in suffering – it is constructive and creative. It turns our focus toward God’s power and faithfulness, opening the door for God’s intervention.

Claus Westermann wrote: “There is not a single psalm of lament that stops with lamentation. Lamentation has no meaning in and of itself … The lament appeals to the one who can remove suffering.”

We are not left to wallow in misery. We boldly make our request to God, because God can act and situations can change.

In Acts 12, King Herod was persecuting the church and arresting believers. He attacked the church leaders—James was executed, and Peter was thrown into prison. The church was crushed with grief;  it was a very dark and difficult time. The believers could have drowned in despair, convinced that Peter would suffer the same fate as James.

Yet, Acts 12:5 says: “Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

The Church was convinced that God could act and the situation could change. True enough, God sent an angel to deliver Peter from prison!

God can act, and situations can change. Even when circumstances don’t seem to change, God is still at work in us, turning trials into our growth, turning pain into our transformation, turning every difficulty into a refining process for us. Our bold prayers may not be answered the way we imagine, but God will answer them.

Paul revealed in 2 Corinthians 12:7 that he was suffering from a “thorn in the flesh”, an affliction that tormented him. Three times he pleaded with the Lord to take it away, yet the suffering persisted.

The Lord told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9) 

And Paul was profoundly transformed: In his weakness, he experienced the power of Christ. He said: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”(2 Cor 12:9)

“Christ’s power resting on him” was God’s response to his request.

4. Rest and Rejoice

Rest and rejoice that God has heard your cry, and change has been effected.

Lament psalms typically conclude with rejoicing:

Psalm 13:5-6, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.”

Psalm 17:15, “As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.”

The late theologian Eugene Peterson said that the lesson of the psalms is this: “All true prayer pursued far enough will become praise … It does not always get there quickly. It does not always get there easily … But the end is always praise.”

As we keep reaching out to God in suffering and grief, as we keep releasing our pain to Him, and keep requesting, praying and boldly asking of Him, we will always end up rejoicing with praise.

But there are times when the grief and sorrow are so great, we feel like there is no song left in us. What then shall we do?

Ephesians 5:18-19 teaches us to “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit Himself will give us a song to sing.

Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.“

When we are in pain and despair, and there are no words, the Holy Spirit helps us, interceding (lamenting) for us through “wordless groans” – praying in tongues.

The Holy Spirit is here. He is still speaking, interceding through the voice of lament.

When we pray in tongues together, we are carrying one another’s suffering and burdens through Spirit-inspired intercession. We suffer with those who suffer and rejoice with those who rejoice.

Remember: Lament is pouring our hearts to God, laying before Him all our pain and sorrow, trusting in His unfailing love, knowing that He listens and answers.

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