Lament - to feel, show, or express grief, sorrow, or regret.
Prayer helps you put your thoughts into words, to sense the deep love of the Father. But journaling makes sure your conversation doesn't disappear into thin air.
Psalm 77:1-13 (New Living Translation)I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help.
You don't let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray! I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion?
And I said, "This is my fate; the Most High has turned his hand against me." But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you?
When life is right on top of you, when you're wrestling with every detail of your current concerns and troubles, it's hard to imagine a day in the future when you won't be able to recall the way you feel right now or remember how difficult this certain decision was. More importantly, it seems impossible that won't reflect on how God met you in your misery, pulling you through at the last minute in ways you never expected.
But that day will come. And with it another new challenge, perhaps different but no less imposing, no less complex than the situation before.
Then one morning, your stomach in a knot, you'll pull out your personal journal, flip to a page dated two or three years back, and be suddenly transported to another time and place, to another crossroads conflict that seemed so huge at the time. Wow, you'd almost forgotten about it. Look how desperate you were. Feel the pain in your words. And remember the faithfulness of God - the God who's still here, to deal with the pressure that's so fresh today. Don't you feel better now?
"Informed by the past, we can speak to God with specific hopes for the future, and with certain assurances about the present." - Welton Gaddy
Taken from: One Minute Bible for Starters - Section Two: Building on the Basics.