The Hope of Lament

Do you want to know what cynicism looks like in our day? Have you ever seen de-motivational posters? You might have seen a motivational poster on the wall at the office. There’s a beautiful picture of a tree or a lion, a bold word like CHANGE or LEADERSHIP, and a pithy statement to inspire whoever passes by. De-motivational posters look the same until you get close enough to read the fine print. “DESPAIR: It’s always darkest just before it goes pitch black.” These posters remind us that cynicism can be clever, even comical, but in the end, it leaves us feeling dark and hopeless.

In the early chapters of 1 Samuel, the Israelites would be tempted to hang a de-motivational poster on the wall. These chapters feel like the darkest moment just before it goes pitch black. They have been soundly defeated by their enemies. The ark of God has been captured, and the glory of the Lord has departed with it. They struggle to imagine a more hopeless situation. Though the details are different, can we relate to a darkness that tempts us to despair? If we spend much of our time focusing on the decline of culture, the mess of politics, and the state of the church, we can easily become cynical. “Are we not being soundly defeated? Has the glory of the Lord departed?”

In an age of cynicism, in a moment that seems so dark, where do we find hope? 1 Samuel 5 reminds us that there is no hope in other gods. Though we turn to other things when we lose hope in the one true God, these other “gods” always turn out to be lifeless and worthless, just like Dagon. Hope grows as we lament turning to other gods who can never really love us, help us, or deliver us. As hard as it is, the Lord is kind to allow our idols to fall to the ground or crumble in our hands. When we see our Dagon, headless and handless, bowing before the Lord, we realize how silly our idols are. They have afflicted us, and only God can heal us. Hope also grows as we lament turning to ourselves. We may not place our hope in something or someone else; instead, we hope in our own ability to figure it out, make it work, and soldier on. But whether we try to manipulate God or move on from Him, the attempt to replace Him with ourselves is doomed to fail.

So what shall we do? The Israelites couldn’t deny the darkness of their times; neither can we. But what we do in response to the darkness is key. Will we hang a de-motivational poster on the wall and laugh to keep from crying…or will we learn to lament? Will we process the darkness alone (and grow more cynical) or will we bring the darkness into the Lord’s presence (and grow more hopeful)? When the ark of the Lord went to Kiriath-jearim, “all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord” for twenty years (1 Sam. 7:2). Many of us struggle to lament for twenty minutes! May the Lord give us courage to bring our doubts and our complaints into His presence. There and only there will we find the ability to lay down our weapons and trust in the One who won the battle for us. There and only there will we see the Light that shines in the darkness—even our own—and begin to hope that the darkness has not overcome it.