A Sacred Sorrow: Reaching Out to God in the Lost Language of Lament

This is a must read. It's a great resource to make your faith even stronger. Very thought provoking giving a deeper meaning of Lament.

Sacred Sorrow by Michael Card is a devotional treasure and one of the most important books that I have read in understanding my relationship with God. During the past year, I have given away perhaps a dozen copies to grieving family members and others that I thought might read it. Card studies lamentation in the OT and NT focusing on the characters of Job, David, Jeremiah, and Jesus. A key verse in this study is found in Exodus 7:16 [Moses said to Pharaoh] "The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert." The desert in this context is interpreted literally and but also figuratively. It is always in the desert that we meet and learn to depend on God. The process of lamenting is, in this sense, the walk in the desert that leads us to God. Card's focus on lamenting is more helpful than the usual focus on the problem of pain. When we lament, we focus on our relationship with God. Focusing on our own pain is less instructive because we must get over our own self-pity before we can "look up" and see God. Card's focus on lament, rather than pain, is also more Biblical in that we observe Job, David, Jeremiah, and Jesus lamenting, not engaged in self-pity. An important point that Card makes is that God promises to be with us (Isaiah 43:2). He does not promise to give us a care-free life or life without pain. When we pray, it is accordingly important to ask for and treasure God's presence. When our relationship with God is on solid ground, God's gifts are sure to follow. In addition to Sacred Sorrow, Card also has an experience guide which is usefully studied by itself in addition to the book. I spent several months with these two books last spring after the death of my sister on the recommendation of a friend in my small group. Since then I have attended a seminar and concert given by Michael (both excellent). I also read another of his books, The Hidden Face of God. Of the books, I found Sacred Sorrow itself the most helpful. Stephen

Mike has crafted a work on an issue of critical importance that nevertheless is largely ignored by the church. "Sacred Sorrow" is not so much a theological treatise as an intimate study of the vital place of lament in the lives of God's people in the past and today. True lament always leads toward worship, turning one's focus from self to God. A way to true healing of soul and spirit. In addition to the core material the author has included extensive resources giving insight and direction in learning the art of biblical lament. His investment in careful study, meditation and writing make this book most worthwhile.

I have loved Michael Card's music for years.His songs are not just musically interesting, but spiritually challenging. They make me think about who God is, who I am in Him,what does He want from my life, and how do I respond to the gift of salvation through Christ? I should have known that his books would be the same. He is not just a singer, not just an author, he is a scholar - and, fortunately, an eminently readable one. I came to this book through a recent personal tragedy. I thought I had long gotten past asking God "why" but this time, I asked, I cried, I accused - and reading this book, I find I am in good company. Card takes the lives of Job, David, Jeremiah, and Jesus and shows how desperately they use lament when communicating with God during times of great suffering. Each of these men had times in their lives when they asked either "why, God?" or "where are you, God?" I was challenged to see these men's lives, their faith and God's love for them and for me in ways I could never have imagined. In today's modern world of Christianity we have shortchanged God and Scripture by leaving out crying to the Lord from the very depths of our pain and souls. We instead settle for shallow answers such as "well, it must have just been God's will," "God must really love you to allow you to experience such a tragedy" and other really (in my opinion) stupid responses. When a child dies, for example, the family does not want to hear that "God needed an extra special angel," they want to cry out to God in the pain - why did you take our child? where were you when this happened? When we take the time to give voice to our pain through the lost language of lament, only then are we open enough to God for Him to reveal Himself to us and teach us how to worship Him. Life as a Christian was never promised to be easy, we are guaranteed to suffer - and we have to go to the author of life with the full force of our pain to ever find any peace. By our definitions, it was not fair for Saul to want to kill David, for Job to suffer his horrific losses, for Jeremiah to see the destruction of that which he loved, and especially, for Jesus to go to the cross. It is through lament and reaching out for God's grace and loving kindness THROUGH their pain that God could reach them, teach them who he is,allow them to return to worship and accept His will instead of theirs.It is through our lament that God can reach us and teach us more of who He is and remind us that we cannot see enough of what He sees to begin to define "fair." Some of these concepts are hard and need prayerful study, but the time invested is worth every second. Besides the Bible, there are three books which should be on every Christian's reading list - What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey, Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper, and A Sacred Sorrow by Michael Card. There are other WONDERFUL books and I can't stop reading, but these books can teach us to reach new, higher, and deeper levels in faith

Michael Card has written another excellent book that can strengthen your faith. He always has insights that first, make you think, "Where did he get that?" and then, after you check with the scriptural text, cause you to understand the concept better. He points out that some of the most towering figures of the Bible, notably Job, David, Jeremiah, and even Jesus poured out their laments before the Father. These laments often included feelings that even 21st century Americans have. It is comforting to know that these natural feelings can be expressed and have the potential to make a person stronger. How does my faith compare to these Biblical giants? I think I know now.