October 31, 2023
by Eric Stillman
Three weeks ago in this space, in light of the atrocities in the Middle East, I began a four-part series on lament, a type of prayer God gives us to process our grief. In his book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, Mark Vroegop defines lament as “a prayer in pain which leads to trust.” Laments consist of four movements: turn to God, voice your complaint, ask boldly, and choose to trust. Think of it like a decision tree: in movement one, as you experience suffering, you have a choice to either turn to God or away from Him. In movement two, you can either suck it up and pretend all is fine, or you can give full vent to all your emotions to God. In movement three, you can either accept what is happening as fate, or ask God to act, to bring justice, to show up, to move, to act according to His character. And in movement four, you can either get swallowed up by your despair, or you can choose to trust that God is good, that He is sovereign, and that He loves you....Keep Reading
Posted in: Prayer Tags: Prayer, Suffering, Lament
October 24, 2023
by Eric Stillman
Two weeks ago in this space, in light of the atrocities in the Middle East, I began a four-part series on lament, a type of prayer God gives us to process our grief. In his book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, Mark Vroegop defines lament as “a prayer in pain which leads to trust.” Laments consist of four movements: turn to God, voice your complaint, ask boldly, and choose to trust. Think of it like a decision tree: in movement one, as you experience suffering, you have a choice to either turn to God or away from Him. In movement two, you can either suck it up and pretend all is fine, or you can give full vent to all your emotions to God. In movement three, you can either accept what is happening as fate, or ask God to act, to bring justice, to show up, to move, to act according to His character. And in movement four, you can either get swallowed up by your despair, or you can choose to trust that God is good, that He is sovereign, that He loves you....Keep Reading
Posted in: Prayer Tags: Prayer, Suffering, Lament
October 17, 2023
by Eric Stillman
In last week’s Pulse, in light of the atrocities in the Middle East, I began a four-part series on lament, a type of prayer God gives us to process our grief. In his book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, Mark Vroegop defines lament as “a prayer in pain which leads to trust.” Laments consist of four movements: ...Keep Reading
Posted in: Prayer Tags: Prayer, Suffering, Lament
October 10, 2023
by Eric Stillman
Over the weekend, Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas launched an invasion against Israel. We mourn for yet another senseless war, for lives lost and survivors who will never be the same, and we pray for peace. Come quickly, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).
In light of this tragedy, I thought it would be timely to remember that God gives us a way to process our grief through a kind of prayer known as lament....Keep Reading
Posted in: Suffering Tags: Prayer, Suffering, Lament
June 7, 2022
by Eric Stillman
It is hard to know how to best respond to the ongoing tragedies in our country and world. On May 24th, an 18-year-old gunman tragically took the lives of 19 children and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX. Despite the horror of that day, it was sadly just another in a long line of mass shootings. And despite the tragedy of these mass shootings, they are only part of a larger spike recently in our country of “deaths of despair,” including suicides, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related deaths. And, if that is not depressing enough, a survey of the global scene shows the continued ravages of war, poverty, slavery, and other atrocities....Keep Reading
Posted in: Suffering Tags: Suffering, Lament, Uvalde, violence
August 4, 2020
by Eric Stillman
This past weekend, Pastor Justo of the church in Barranca where NewLife sent a mission team last March passed away from COVID-19. He leaves behind a wife, Janeth, three boys, and a thriving church. Iglesia Evangelica Pentecostal Misionera Barranca....Keep Reading
Tags: Death, Peru, Lament
June 9, 2020
by Eric Stillman
In my preparation for the current sermon series on lament, one reality that I have heard pointed out often by the authors I have read is that anywhere from 30-40% of the Psalms can be classified as laments, while in our modern hymnals or collections of worship songs, the percentage ranges anywhere from 5-15%. Besides seeing this as an interesting discrepancy, what might this reveal about our modern Christianity? I can think of three things:
1) We are too consumer-driven...Keep Reading
Tags: Worship, Suffering, Lament
