Lament: When Prayer Becomes Tears

Why isn’t the church weeping? Lament is raw honest prayer. A century ago, perhaps as recently as fifty years ago, travail was as common in Pentecostal congregations as were corporate prayer sessions. There were times in which an entire congregation tarried before God in prayer and wept. In such a season, groaning in the Spirit still was a common practice. Lament is not reflected in our public nor private worship. When we do weep, it is rarely before God in prayer. Is the church no longer a place that admits those who weep and mourn? Isn’t there a blessing for the mourner promised by Jesus, himself, a word for those who need comfort? Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4