Godly Lament Reminds Mothers of God’s Goodness in the Midst of Pain

Pain Is Real

Our pain related to the trials of motherhood is real. We are right to grieve when our bodies and our children’s bodies don’t work the way God originally intended. And godly lament is a vehicle that God gives us to be able to bring that sadness and heartache to the Lord in a way that we have emotional freedom with our Heavenly Father.

God Is Still Good

Katie Faris

God Is Still Good invites women to experience God’s comfort and grace through the sorrows of motherhood and leads them to put their hope in Christ, despite the unexpected trials of life.

Lament is defined as a crying out, even a wailing. But godly lament directs that same wailing, that same crying, those tears to the Lord in prayer. It’s an agreeing with God. Yes, sin really messed everything up. Things aren’t the way you originally designed. I’m sad. I wish things were different. If only healing would come faster!

And as we agree with God, we’re saying, We need you, Lord. We need you to do what only you can do in our stories and in our children’s stories. We need you to bring your redemption and make beauty out of our ashes. We need you to do what only you can do.

We are right to grieve when our bodies and our children’s bodies don’t work the way God originally intended.

This kind of godly lament welcomes us to pour out our hearts before God and allows us to confess our struggles, our doubts, our fears about God’s goodness, and at the same time, acknowledge that he is our only refuge through them and to find our hope and comfort in him.

Katie Faris is the author of God Is Still Good: Gospel Hope and Comfort for the Unexpected Sorrows of Motherhood.

Katie Faris (BA, Grove City College) is the author of He Will Be Enough: How God Takes You by the Hand Through Your Hardest Days and Loving My Children: Embracing Biblical Motherhood and a contributing writer to several blogs including the Gospel Coalition and the Focused Pastor. A pastor’s wife and mother to five, Katie lives with her family in New Jersey. To learn more, visit katiefaris.com.

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