A little further

READ: MATTHEW 26:36-46

He went on a little further and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me” (v.39).

ONE of my favourite Old Testament professors once shared this startling statistic: 40 percent of the psalms in the Bible are songs of lament in which the authors present their heartache and pain to God. But in the catalogue of modern worship music, only 5 percent of songs could be considered lament, even by the most generous standards. My professor believes that part of the reason we don’t know how to lament is because modern worship tends to focus more on celebration and less on lamentation.

In addition to this possibility, we often lack an understanding of what true lament is — the nature of which is revealed in Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39,42,44). There He experienced a life crushing sorrow as He considered the brutal events of Good Friday that awaited Him (27:26-35). But the sorrow itself isn’t the lament. Jesus’ lament began when “He went on a little further and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, ‘My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me’” (26:39).

So it isn’t simply the experience of suffering. Lament involves consciously bringing our pain before God and spending time in His loving, compassionate presence. So often I fail to go “a little further” when I’m in the midst of a season of suffering. I brood over my hurt and my pain, imagining that it’s the same thing as godly lament. But for me to truly lament, I have to bring the hurt and pain before the presence of my Father, facing my situation in light of His power and mercy. And when I do this, I experience deep comfort knowing that I’m no longer holding on to my pain, but casting it before Jesus who cares for me! (1 Peter 5:7). — Peter Chin