Legacy Church Blog

Lamenting National Tragedies

“Both the child and the cynic walk through the valley of the  shadow of death. The cynic focuses on the darkness; the child focuses on the Shepherd.” (Paul Miller, A Praying Life)

A lament is a specific type of prayer in the midst of sorrow, longing, and the feeling that things aren’t as they are supposed to be. We are always dependent on God. We cry out to God in lament when we feel we have nowhere else to turn. It’s a child-like prayer that is aware of the darkness but also focused on Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

Lament neither gives up on hope nor does it ignore reality. It recognizes where we are and where we need to be and cries out for God to narrow that gap. In Romans 4:18, Paul uses an unusual phrase to describe Abraham’s lament: “In hope he believed against hope.” Abraham stakes his life on hope, but never takes his eyes off reality. That’s faith expressed through lament.

Lament expresses faith in God and expects God to act. It recognizes God rightly gets the glory if the situation changes. Refusing to lament attempts to short-circuit God and attempts to limit his ability to act. It allows you to claim credit if the situation ever changes.

Writing A Lament (Adults)

The Psalmists typically follow a basic pattern when they write their laments.

Direct Address | Address God directly, expressing
dependence on him. You have nowhere else to turn; as one scholar wrote, to turn anywhere else is blasphemous idolatry.

Lament / Cry for Help | Express your specific compliant to God.
Confession of Sin / Assertion of Innocence | Sometimes you suffer because of something you’ve done. Other times you suffer because of something done to you. And other times it's a combination of both. Confessing your sin is a sign of humility; taking responsibility for another’s sin is refusal to admit hurt and can be a sign of arrogance.

Imprecation | Imprecation leaves your desires for justice, vengeance, and vindication with God, asking him to act. This side of the cross, imprecation should include a longing for repentance, meaning the punishment for the sin falls fully on the shoulders of Christ. It can also include a longing for those in authority (often the government) to execute justice.

Confidence in God’s Response | The expression of confidence in God often starts with, “But you…” This is a theologically full statement, often including applicable attributes of God.

Praise | Most laments end with a statement of praise to God.

Writing A Lament (Children)

Dear God,
You are the great king over everything and you are my father.

I need your help because, ______________________________________________.

When I think about this, I feel ___________________________________________.

Here is how I want you to help __________________________________________.

I can’t fix my problem, but you can! You are the most powerful one in the whole universe. So please help me. Please fix this. Please make it right. Thank you for listening to my prayer, my father, almighty God. Amen.

Big thanks to Elliot Grudem, Tremper Longman, and Paul Miller for this material. 

For access to the class material on lament in our Spiritual Disciplines class - click here. 

Strategies We Use to Cope With Guilt (That Don't Work)

Everyone feels it…

That sinking weight in your gut after you mess up again—the thing you promised God (and yourself) you wouldn’t do anymore. Maybe it’s anger - or dishonesty - or some secret sin that has burrowed deeper than anyone knows. What comes next is just as important as what happened: how you respond to your guilt. Do you turn to Jesus, or do you try to bring your own remedy?

Unfortunately, we tend to reach for all the wrong tools. 

Here are six strategies many of us use to manage guilt or shame—and why they leave us feeling more stuck, not less. These aren’t just emotional responses. They’re spiritual dead-ends. And in each case, Jesus invites us to a better way.

Accommodation: “It’s not that bad.”

We redefine sin. We compare ourselves to people who seem worse. We highlight our good intentions. We say things like, “God knows my heart.” But that’s the point—He actually does. And it’s not flattering (Jer. 17:9).

• Diagnostic: Do you find yourself minimizing sin by calling it “just a struggle” or “not that serious”?
• Truth: God’s grace doesn’t downplay sin. It looks square in the face and covers it in full. 

Self-Salvation: “I’ll make up for it.”

We double down on spiritual effort. More Bible reading. More volunteering. We try to “pay back” grace with good behavior. But when you try to earn forgiveness, you’ve stopped trusting in the cross. 

• Diagnostic: Do you feel like you need to prove yourself to God after messing up? 
• Truth: The gospel isn’t a loan to repay. It's a gift to receive.

Distraction: “I’ll stay busy so I don’t have to feel this.”

We numb ourselves. Work harder. Scroll longer. Turn up the volume of everything so we don’t have to hear the still, small voice. But distraction isn’t the same as peace. It’s just noise with better marketing.

• Diagnostic: Do you avoid stillness because it reminds you of what’s unsettled in your soul? 
• Truth: Silence with God may be uncomfortable, but it's the beginning of real healing.

Blame-Shifting: “It’s not my fault.”

We blame our upbringing. Our spouse. Our stress. Our exhaustion. We say things like, “Anyone in my position would’ve done the same.” But confession doesn’t start with explaining our sin—it starts with owning it.

• Diagnostic: Do you instinctively find external reasons for your spiritual disconnection? 
• Truth: God doesn't forgive excuses. He forgives sinners who come honestly.

Emotionalism: “At least I feel bad.”

We confuse sorrow with repentance. We feel guilty, cry, maybe journal, and assume that’s enough. But unless sorrow leads to change, it’s just spiritual self-flagellation.

• Diagnostic: Do you assume that feeling awful about sin equals being right with God? 
• Truth: You don’t need to punish yourself emotionally. Jesus already took the punishment fully

Grace Abuse: “God forgives me—so it doesn’t really matter.”

This one may be the most dangerous. We take the most beautiful truth in the world—that God forgives—and weaponize it against holiness. We use grace as a license to stay the same. But true grace trains us to change (Titus 2:11–12).

• Diagnostic: Have you lost your urgency to fight sin because of how freely God forgives? 
• Truth: Grace doesn’t partner with sin. It leads us out of it.

So What’s the Way Forward?

Instead of managing guilt, Jesus invites us to kill sin. To call it what it is. To bring it into the light. To carry it—not to our to-do list, or our tears—but to the cross - where we die…and where we live again.

Because true repentance doesn’t just fix our behavior. It restores our wholeness.

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” — 1 John 3:8

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” — John 1:29