unanswered prayer
When we have experienced unanswered prayer in our life and we find it difficult to yield, or say yes to, God, one of the truest and best things we can do, as followers of Christ, is to practice lament.
Lament is simply a type of prayer meaning to mourn. It’s a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. In fact, we see Jesus practice it in the garden of Gethsemane. It includes complaint, anger, grief, despair, protest and hope of justice. It may surprise you to know that there are actually more lament psalms than any other type in the Psalter.
This week, as a church family, we invite you to step into practicing lament, because learning to live like Jesus is all about stepping into it one practice at a time.
Practicing Lament
Perhaps you are continuing to pray for something that is yet unanswered. Perhaps you have received an answer that came to pass in a way that was different than you had hoped. Or maybe you are simply grieving the injustice, sickness, pain and brokenness in the world. What a gift to be able to join the lament cry of the Psalmist, “How long O Lord?”.
- If possible, find a location that you can be alone where you can pray out loud to the Lord. (outdoors in a secluded area, a quiet room in your home or office, alone in your car)
- Lift your voice to Lord and express any pain, frustration, anguish, confusion or grief. Tell the Lord about the prayer that wasn’t answered in the way you thought it would be. Tell Him the specifics. Trust that He is big enough to receive this from you.
- Communicate all that comes to your mind about this situation. (If you are disappointed, the Lord doesn’t expect you to cover it up with a plastic smile. You can tell Him what you are thinking and feeling.)
- If you are able, choose to end your prayer with Jesus’ phrase “Not my will but Yours be done”.
- It can be helpful to simply turn your palms up as you pray this phrase to your Father as a sign that you will not grasp for control but instead trust in the God who is big enough for your questions and your pain.
- If you continue to find difficulty trusting the Lord…
- Be honest about this day by day in prayer
- Use the lack of trust you feel to drive you into His word and into prayer instead of away from it.
- As best as you can, relinquish control to the Father. Relinquishing does not mean dishonesty about your feelings. It simply means releasing control of events to the one who made all things and reigns over creation.
Sometimes praying “Not my will but your will be done” can feel impossible. Sometimes relinquishing things to the Lord seems light years away. Depending on your situation and your grief, you may only be able to get to step 3 in this list. That is ok. Keep coming back to the Lord each day, in honesty, and the Spirit will meet you and guide you in the way. He is faithful to complete what He has started. He will meet you where you are and help you as you pray, even when you don’t know what to say.
