Embracing Lament: God is author of the joy we may find in silence

A line from today’s Psalm reminds me of a paragraph I wrote here a few months ago:

“I’d give $10,000 to discuss a serious issue with Evelyn, chuckle with her about a funny incident, or watch an intriguing movie together. I’d add that much more if I could trust her to walk down the hall without falling.”

Every caregiver could come up with his own wish list. Some wishes get into our prayers.

“God, help her sleep through the night.”
“Lord, let her recognize her brother when he visits.”
“God, please keep him quiet while I’m going to the grocery.”
“Heavenly Father, calm her anxiety. Give her peace.”

And sometimes we may utter a line like the one that stood out to me today. It’s in verse 7: “Fill my heart with joy.” Our hearts may be full of grief, or fear, or frustration, or regret. Joy sounds like a much better alternative.

Today’s text shows the psalmist asking for joy during a dialogue with God.

George A. F. Knight outlines the conversation as it alternates between the writer and the Lord. Verse 1 is the writer’s lament. Verse 2 is God’s response. Verse 3 is from the psalmist followed by verses 4, 5 from God. Then the psalmist’s final response comes in verses 6-8.

It’s a challenging pattern for prayer: listening as well as speaking. Perhaps we would get to the peace of verse 8 if we didn’t fill our prayer times with our own words. Perhaps, silently guided by the Holy Spirit, we would remember truths we’d already discovered in God’s Word if we paused and waited to remember them again. Perhaps a clear course of action would come to us if we were quiet enough to hear it.

And perhaps, if we reflected more than we asked, we’d discover how God is bringing us what the psalmist sought. Not always happiness. Sometimes not our “$10,000 wish.” But something deeper, more sustaining, and more satisfying. Joy.

It’s a good goal for a new week: seeking joy from God as we quietly wait for him to show how he’s giving it.

Read: Psalm 4
Listen: “The Joy of Jesus” with Rich Mullins and others.
Pray: As I pause in silence when I pray to you, God, give me light, give me grace, and as the psalmist prayed, “Fill my heart with joy.”