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Navigating Mystery: The Gift of Lament
- Wendy Mann
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
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Mystery in the Kingdom
We are in relationship with a God who has all power and all authority. He is sovereign over all things, and nothing happens without His say-so. He is Healer and Saviour. He is Provider and Deliverer. He has utterly defeated the enemy, and He is completely victorious. Nothing is impossible for Him. He loves us with a steadfast, unconditional, fierce, and extravagant love. He has adopted us as His sons and daughters, and He is our perfect Father.
Yet there are many experiences we have, and things we walk through in our lives, that don’t seem to match what we know about God’s nature, heart, and character. There are many times we pray when we don’t get the answers we’re longing for, or the breakthrough we know is possible.
This is mystery.
This is also true when it comes to the calling on our lives to extend God’s Kingdom:
Jesus models the normal Christian life (Acts 10).
As we follow His example, we see incredible moments of breakthrough, where God’s power brings transformation to people’s lives.
But we also face moments where God’s Kingdom doesn’t come in the way we prayed for or hoped it would.
This is where mystery meets disappointment.
The key difference between those who keep trusting God over the long haul and those who struggle to stay in faith often lies here in how we navigate mystery. And this is where biblical lament becomes essential.
What is Lament?
(A lot of this material is drawn from Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop)
“The honest cry of a hurting heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness.”
“It stands in the gap between pain and promise.”
“A prayer in pain that leads to trust.”
“The path from heartbreak to hope.”
Lament is not weakness. It is not unbelief. It's the language of faith in the middle of confusion.
There are many examples of lament in the Psalms—around a third of them. If you want to see it in action, read Psalm 77.
Why Lament?
1. Lament is an expression of faith
“It takes faith to pray a lament…”
Without hope in God’s deliverance, and the conviction that He is all-powerful, there would be no reason to lament when pain enters our lives. We lament because we know who God is. We lament because we know what He can do. And when those things don’t happen, it hurts.
2. Lament restores faith after disappointment
Unprocessed disappointment directly attacks our faith. It lowers our expectations. It causes us to hold back. It even leads us to protect others from disappointment by discouraging their faith.
But when we learn to lament well—when we bring our pain and disappointment honestly before God—we create space to return to trust.
3. Jesus models lament
Isaiah 53:3 describes Jesus as:
“A man of sorrows and acquainted with deepest grief.”
On the cross, He prayed the words of Psalm 22:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus lived a life that included lament. He understands injustice, betrayal, weakness, suffering, and even the feeling of being abandoned.
How Do We Lament?
Lament is not random—it follows a pattern we see throughout Scripture. Here’s a simple pathway drawn from Psalms like 13, 77, and 69.
1. Turn towards God in your pain
Don’t deny, minimise, or ignore what’s going on in your heart.
Pain that is ignored doesn’t disappear—it gets buried and begins to affect your relationship with God:
Don’t withdraw from God
Don’t keep Him at arm’s length
Don’t replace honesty with forced positivity
Authentic joy is not the absence of pain. It is the fruit of walking through pain with honesty and hope. Turn towards God—and be real with Him.
2. Bring your complaints
“God is good, but life is hard. Enter complaint.”
Lament gives you permission to be honest.
Ask your questions. Express your pain. Say what is really in your heart.
The Psalms are full of this:
“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?” (Psalm 10:1)
“Why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1)
“How long, O Lord?” (Psalm 13:1)
Honesty is essential. But so is direction. We don’t complain just to complain—we bring our complaints to God, so they move us towards Him.
3. Remember who God is
As we pour out our hearts, something shifts. What once felt like a barrier becomes a bridge.
God meets us in our honesty, and in that place:
He brings healing
He speaks truth
He restores perspective
We begin to remember:
His faithfulness
His kindness
His power
His victory
Lament leads us back to worship. Even in pain, we begin to say:“God, I remember who You are.”
4. Ask boldly
Lament doesn’t stop at honesty—it moves into bold faith.
‘The next leg in our journey involves confidently calling upon God to act in accordance with His character.
The psalmists often speak with striking confidence, calling on God to act according to His character.
They pray things like:
Arise, O Lord
Help us
Restore us
Remember Your covenant
Let justice be done
Do not be silent
When we’ve brought our pain honestly, and remembered who God is, we can ask boldly—even in the middle of mystery.
5. Choose to trust
“Lament is how we endure. It is how we trust. It is how we wait.”
Trust doesn’t mean everything makes sense. It means choosing to believe in who God is—even when nothing has changed yet.
Psalm 13:5 says:
“But I have trusted in your steadfast love…”
This is the turning point. Not because the situation has resolved, but because the heart has re-rooted itself in God.
Sometimes trust looks like laying down your need to understand. We often think peace will come when we understand why. But God offers a peace that goes beyond understanding.
Reflect + Respond
Take a moment to pause and reflect:
Where am I currently facing mystery or disappointment?
Have I been honest with God about how I feel?
What would it look like for me to bring a lament before Him today?
Final Thoughts
Don’t make the mistake of thinking trust is a one-time decision. You don’t pray one lament prayer and move on forever. Life isn’t that simple. Grief isn’t that tidy.
Instead, we return to lament again and again—allowing it to lead us back to trust, over and over. Because in the end:
Lament is not the absence of faith. It is the pathway back to it.
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Wendy Mann Equip | www.wendymannequip.com
'Equipping disciples of Jesus to live wholeheartedly and prioritise God's presence'.
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