Faith is the trusting of our entire selves to God.  We cry, “Why, God” because we're desperate to find meaning in our suffering. Biblical lament leads us to greater faith because it returns our focus to God's attributes and character while giving opportunity for our doubts and runaway emotions to experience God's comfort. Lament reconciles praise and thanksgiving when our hearts break with suffering.

David's sorrow in Psalm 31 took over his voice and he cried aloud that God would hear his cry and rescue him posthaste. It's tempting to believe that God doesn’t care, and that he doesn’t listen. However, by wrapping your cry in the truth of God’s character you insulate your pain-ridden heart against the deceptive wiles of the enemy

In lament, we confess our trust because our hearts need the reminder of the truth about God's character. A heart that finds its anchor in the Lord of Hosts is the heart that learns the lament. We cry and then we confess trust.

Lament is the language of emotion, and without lament, our hurtful experiences dictate the way we interact with God, ourselves, and others. Without a safe place for expression, we withdraw or cast blame. This prevents us from the abundance that the Lord offers in John 10:10.

Our tendency is independence and self-sufficiency, but self-sufficiency and independence feeds the pride that prevents us from running to God in times of need. When we screw up, we want to cover up. But God asks us to uncover and run straight to him.

Praise is the final piece in biblical lament. It's the paradoxical nature of life with Christ. We worship in spirit and truth. God is both merciful and just. We lay down our life and live as living sacrifices. Lament is both pain and praise.