Music Monday: “Bleed the Same” by Mandisa [Featuring TobyMac & Kirk Franklin]
By Debbie Waltz
If you’ve ever had one of those weeks, last week was one of mine. I can’t tell you why exactly, but I didn’t want to do anything. Luckily, I could push through it, knowing I had made commitments to my friend to do our weekly Bible study/prayer call. Ironically, this week’s lesson was about the power of praying laments. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines lament as “a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.” Contrary to popular opinion, lamenting is not simply complaining, but letting our current “state” (emotions, perspective, etc.) be known to the Lord, so that He can reorient us to a state of total surrender. That definition came from my spirit just now, so forgive me if it seems jumbled.
For those who know me now, I’m not an emotional person. I just am not. I used to be, but I’m not now. Part of me wonders if it has something to do with the medication I’m on to relax my muscles and the long-term effects of the baclofen pump. I used to have (that’s a whole other story, but at least I am a lot happier now). Also, being a quadriplegic makes crying hard enough, but asking people to wipe your eyes because you’ve been crying, come on. That’s why I tend to stuff my feelings down to where I can’t name the feeling.
Still, there’s got to be a balance somewhere right?
God created us that way with our own unique set of emotions and feelings. Of course, these can be shaped and molded by the circumstances we are raised, or our current circumstances. Bottom line: they make us who we are as a person. God’s not denying that. He accepts us just as we are
I think our “When You Pray” study guide puts it best when Jennifer says, “We can’t always choose our emotions. Sometimes situations press in and bring out all sorts of feelings. But through God’s grace, we can control what we do with those feelings. We can let our feelings travel the path of lament in prayer.”
The Psalms are full of lament; they cover a full range of emotions from anger to sadness. Despite this, you will find a general pattern within the author’s writing which consists of the following elements:
- Addressing God for who he is-. The many attributes of God (Mighty Tower, your Healer, etc.)
- Pouring out your feelings to God.
- Request for help.
- Express trust.
- Praise and worship
During the week, we also discussed the 2 different types of lament there are- individual and communal laments. This portion of the study talked about the importance of praying for people in our community as well as our social circles. Sadly, it takes catastrophic events like Covid for us to come together and value each other as fellow members of the human race.
Because of our differences, we forget we were created by the same God. We let those differences divide us, rather than unite us. As Christians, this isn’t anything new to our history. Remember the HUGE barrier between the Jews and the Gentiles in Ephesians. God came to tear down such divides. Paul writes about this in Ephesians, saying: “But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.” (2: 14 CSB).
As my reading from today reminded me we all have the same [heavenly] Father (whether we believe it or not). It’s still our choice to accept his free gift.Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”