Coincidence, I heard once, is God's way of trying to remain anonymous.
If that is true, I believe that it was no coincidence yesterday that our DISCIPLE Bible study class read and discussed the Book of Lamentations while a Memorial Service was being held at Fort Hood, Texas.
The older I get and the more I pray through/with/for news reports the more I am in awe of the wisdom and gift Lamentations provides God believers. For such a little book (only five chapters long) tucked in between such amazing prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Lamentation packs a terrific punch of the profound. (Please, after you read my blog- go read Lamentations for yourself. It won't take long.)
The poetic rendering of ancient Jerusalem's destruction and the exile of the Jewish people into Babylon in 586/587 B.C.E. models for all of us how to grieve well. Grief done well tells the details of pain and sorrow's story. Grief done well laments and articulates the loss one or a group of people experience together. Grief done well assumes and presumes God's loving steady presence. This is what we as a nation, our military family, and communities of faith are about today as we remember the betrayal and loss of life at Fort Hood last week.
Grieving done well also presupposes that sorrow itself will come to an end, mourning will turn to dancing, and God's mercies are fresh every day. My favorite scripture is tucked into the middle of this lament. See 3:22-23. In fact, my notes (for my husband and families' future reference) includes this reading for my funeral and the singing of a great hymn based upon these words, Great Is Thy Faithfulness.
God provides for us- even in times of great sorrow and loss. That hope and promise is what allows, I believe, deep healing to take place. May it be so for the families and those injured at Fort Hood and may it be so for all who grieve and mourn today.
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