By Rev. Dr. Thomas Ahlersmeyer
Joshua died nearly 40 years ago. His life was cut short by a tragic accident, a mere month before his 4th birthday. As I sought to comfort his grieving family with the Gospel’s promise of everlasting life, his 10-year-old sister quietly reflected, “I see! This is a happy-sad day.”
Sad over the loss of her little brother, yet happy that Joshua was with Jesus, her simple words captured the very heart of Christian faith and hope. In that tender moment, she was living the truth of Lamentations 3:22-23 — even in sorrow, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, and His mercies are new every morning.
Jeremiah composed the book of Lamentations as he grieves over the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. His five poems of lament (with chapter 3, verses 22-23 situated in the center) teach us two important truths about Christian living — God listens to our complaints, and He works through even the most difficult of circumstances.
God listens to our complaints.
Not long ago, a dear elderly believer shared with me several of the physical difficulties she had been enduring. Then, almost apologetically, she added, “I shouldn’t be complaining.” I gently reminded her that anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of the psalms are poems of lament Spirit-inspired expressions of sorrow, frustration, and longing spoken to a God who invites honesty from His children.
I often meet people who respond to my question, “How are you doing?” with the words, “I am blessed.” And that’s good — it’s a faithful confession of gratitude. Yet, God has also created us with hearts that need to lament. Lament is not the opposite of faith; it is faith that dares to bring pain before God, trusting that He listens and cares.
The book, “No More Faking Fine: Ending the Pretending,” captures this truth beautifully: “There is no healing in hurrying through grief. There is no restoration in ignoring pain. Rather, healing can be found when we learn to lament honestly.”
Our Lord meets us there — in the honest cries of His people — with mercy that is new every morning.
God works through difficult times.
Lament is how God’s people bring their pain, confusion, and sorrow to Him rather than turning from Him. Scripture gives us a simple pattern for this faithful honesty:
Turn – Direct your grief toward God. Like the psalmist who cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1a ESV), lament begins by calling on the God who still holds us.
Complain – Speak truthfully about what is wrong. God invites our hardest questions and deepest hurts.
Ask – Plead for God to act, to heal, and to redeem. Lament keeps us looking to the only One who can make things right.
Trust – Choose to rest in God’s goodness, even when the outcome is unseen. Faith always finds its way back to hope and praise.
The cross and the empty tomb stand as God’s greatest proof of His love and care for us — even in life’s hardest moments. As one writer beautifully said: “Grumbling turns away from God in bitterness, but lament turns toward God in trust.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 teaches us how to sing on the happy-sad days of our lives:
“Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!” (Great Is Thy Faithfulness, Lutheran Service Book 809)
And Jesus tells us why:
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NIV).
This month’s study text:
Great Is Your Faithfulness
22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him;
29 let him put his mouth in the dust — there may yet be hope;
30 let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever,
32 for, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.
Lamentations 3:22-33 (ESV)
Reflection Questions:
When have you experienced a “happy-sad day” — a time when grief and gratitude, sorrow and hope, were interwoven? How did God’s faithfulness reveal itself in that moment?
What keeps you from bringing your honest complaints before God? Do you ever feel hesitant to lament, and if so, what might help you trust Him with your rawest emotions?
How do you see God’s mercies “new every morning”? In what small or surprising ways has God renewed your strength or hope recently?
How does the cross and empty tomb shape your understanding of suffering and faithfulness? What does it mean for you to “take heart” knowing that Christ has already overcome the world?
Prayer:
Merciful Lord, On our happy-sad days — when joy and sorrow meet — draw us close to Your heart. Teach us to turn to You with honesty and to bring our questions, our pain, and our fears to You without shame. In Your steadfast love, meet us with mercy fresh for this new day. Work through our trials, redeem what is broken, and steady our hearts with the hope of Christ, who has overcome the world. Amen.
The Rev. Dr. Thomas Ahlersmeyer is serving as the pastor at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., and a pastor on “Worship Anew.”