If one lives long enough in this broken world, one is inevitably confronted by pain or injustice. How then should a believer respond? In his book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, MarkVroegop shows us the importance, the process, and the blessing of biblical lament in a believer’s life. Throughout the book he turns to scripture for guidance, focusing particularly on the book of Lamentations and David’s example in the Psalms.
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy gives us the tool of lament when we feel caught between the biblical truth of “do all things without arguing and complaining” and the reality of pain, trial, and hardship. While lament is a process and part of the journey in the pilgrim’s life, it is not a shortcut to circumvent pain. In the words of the author, “Lament is not a simplistic formula. Instead, lament is the song you sing believing that one day God will answer and restore. Lament invites us to pray through our struggle with a life that is far from perfect.”
I found this book to be eye-opening, as I learned what biblical lament is, and helpful, as the author shared his own painful wrestlings. If you’re going through a trial, please read this book. If you’re not going through a trial, please read this book. I would offer to loan you my copy, but I plan to return to the heavily underlined pages of this resource soon!
