Getting Through with Honest Lament | Through | Week 3

Hopeful ExpectationThrough • October 29, 2023Teacher: Adam Barnett-- Isaiah 43:1-2 NIVBut now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFTRwD85AQ4The Stockdale Paradox: confronting the brutal facts of our reality with the hope that we will prevail.To lament is to groan under the burden of sorrow; to mourn.1.  Lament for lost loved ones.2. Lament for a destroyed city or temple.3. Lament for a crisis in the community.4. Lament for one’s sin.5. Lament for devastating circumstances.a. Sickness and pain– Psalm 38:7-8, Jeremiah 15:18Michael John Cusick“Lament is a posture and way of being that engages with God with our truest self.”b. Complaint – Job 3:11  c.  Questioning.– Psalm 22:1-2d. A plea for help. - Psalm 31:1-2Matthew 5:4 NIVBlessed are those who mourn,for they will be comforted.Lament is not a failure of faith, but an act of faith.Soong-Chan Rah“The American church avoids lament. The power of lament is minimized and the underlying narrative of suffering that requires lament is lost. But absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder. Absence makes the heart forget. The absence of lament in the liturgy of the American church results in a loss of memory. We forget the necessity of lamenting over suffering and pain. We forget the reality of suffering and pain.”