Remedy for a Tired Heart

I was talking to my dad the other day when he asked me, “How are you?” 

This simple question use to invoke a simple response. 

That was before COVID-19.

Before weeks of social distancing, continual changes, job uncertainties, economic crisis,
and a rising death toll—all while an invisible virus looms. 

“I’m not sure,” was all I could come up with.

When asked how he was doing, Dad said mentally he was good, but his heart felt tired.
He continued on. “It’s hard to put words to it. How do you explain to someone who’s
never experienced a cloudy day, what a cloudy day feels like?”  

He didn’t have to say any more. My weary heart knew just exactly what a cloudy day felt
like. 

Maybe you, like me, have had moments of denial and despair, happiness and
hopelessness, ignorance and idleness. Enough emotional pin-balling to weary a heart.

Cloudy days turned cloudy weeks.

And maybe you, like me, feel pressure as a Christian to face uncertainty and hardship
with a smile on your face and unwavering optimism. After all, Jesus has risen from the
dead!  #faithoverfear, y’all! 

The only problem is, you and I? We’re human. And humans have emotions.
We can try to suppress them, but they often leak their way out in the form of anxious thoughts, sleeplessness, flippant insensitive words or tears wetting our cheeks.

True rest can't be found in blissful ignorance or clever hashtags. Nor can it be found
swimming in the downward spiral of unchecked emotions.

The juxtaposition

So what’s a (human) Christian to do? 

Does it have to be either, or? Can a follower of Christ be both hopeful AND hurting?

It is a great mercy that God in His providence should have this be Holy Week.

The answer to this very question can be found looking at Jesus’ final moments of life. 
A time when Jesus, filled with great anguish also displayed unyielding trust.

A time to lament.

What is a lament?

To lament is to feel, show or express grief, sorrow, or regret. (according to Dictionary.com) 

Biblical lament goes far beyond just having yourself a good cry and getting on with it.
Laments aren’t just an expression of grief or a cathartic experience to emotionally unload.
And they certainly aren’t evidence of a weak faith. 

Quite the contrary.

A lament is a way to express our pain and sorrow to the Lord, inviting Him into our lack
and trusting His ways. The end of a lament is the beginning of a renewed confidence in
the Lord. 

King David, Job, Habakkuk... the Bible is full of men and women who lament. (Check out
Psalm 10, 22, 44 and 80 for a few examples.) 

In fact, there are many passages in scripture where we see Jesus lament, including His
final moments before His death.

Jesus laments

As Jesus hung on the cross, He was in great anguish and despair. He did not smile and
pretend all was right with the world. He didn’t berate Himself for feeling sorrow. Rather,
Jesus, the Saviour of the world, was beaten, ridiculed and displayed naked on a rugged
cross. The weight of the sin of the world hanging on those three fateful nails. Jesus,
overwhelmed with sorrow, cried out to the Lord, “My God, My God, why have you
forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46. 

It’s a heart wrenching passage to read. In part, due to the very raw, relatable way in which
He expresses His anguish. It feels personal— and in fact, is very personal. It seems
unnatural that Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords could feel and express such raw
emotions.  

He doesn’t stop there. Jesus asks God for what He wants. His accusers continued to mock
and humiliate Him and yet Jesus asks God to forgive them, “for they know not what they
do.” (Luke 23:34). He knew those who were actively killing Him were blinded to the
enormity of what they were doing and He longed for them to be forgiven. He knew their
forgiveness could only be possible through His atoning death and the just hand of God. So
He asks God for what he wanted.

Finally, as Jesus takes His final breath, He declares His unending trust in the Lord by
surrendering His Spirit. “Into your hands I commit my Spirit.” Luke 23:46 Despite what He
was going through, He knew God was sovereign and could be trusted.

He expresses his agony to the Lord, he makes his request, and ultimately, He trusts God.

How to Lament

There is a pattern to the laments in scripture that you might find helpful.

1. Cry out to God:  Turn to the Lord with your questions, your fears, your pain. Tell Him what’s happening and how you’re feeling.

2. Ask for help: Don’t know how to deal with your anxiety? Need to find enough money to pay rent next month? Aren’t sure if you should be going to work? ASK HIM!  He is a good Father who longs to provide for His kids. He gives wisdom to those who ask in faith. 

3. Choose to trust Him: Call to mind His many promises in scripture.  Look back upon moments in your life that you have seen Him move. Read the Bible to learn more about His character. Then declare it. Tell God, nay, tell yourself that He is faithful. He is good. He is trustworthy. Then choose to trust Him in the face of your hurts, fears and lack.

Remedy for a Tired Heart

Maybe you aren’t wrestling with emotions of grief or sorrow right now. That’s okay.

But if you find yourself wanting to cry out in your anguish, but have been reluctant out of
fear of jeopardizing your facade of hope, perhaps the right response for you, as it has been
for me, is to lament.  

In a time where we can't hide our emotions behind our busyness, entertainment, and
pursuit of productivity. A time when true rest seems evasive and people are starved for
true hope. We have before us a great opportunity to walk in Jesus' example of taking our
heavy hearts to the Lord in lament. We can find rest for our weary hearts.

If you know God is sovereign, but your heart feels heavy, lament. If you know Sunday’s
coming, but you still feel the pain and weight of Good Friday, dear brothers and sisters,
lament.  

Renewed strength and rest in Him awaits. 

Photo by Sharon Pittaway on Unsplash