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A review by memlhd
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop
5.0
In the past I know I have said the wrong things and failed to say the right things to hurting people. It has taken various experiences and input from others to begin to know how to benefit hurting people well. Mark Vroegop’s Dark Clouds Deep Mercy will bless the church as it is a concise, clearly developed guide to the biblical concept of lament. As he demonstrates, lament can help us enter into the lives of hurting people. Vroegop describes lament as “the honest cry of a hurting heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness.” I am thankful for this book in helping me to understand and implement this beautiful form of prayer.
Dark Clouds Deep Mercy walks the reader through the process of using lament well in the Christian life. In the first section of the book Vroegop discusses the four aspects of lament: an address to God, a complaint, a request, and an expression of trust and/or praise. He demonstrates each aspect by looking at a different psalm and using personal examples. Part II looks at the book of Lamentations as a long example of lament. Part III talks about how Christians should use lament both individually and corporately.
While Vroegop certainly has pastors in mind, as he is a pastor himself, this book is written to engage all Christians and to be useful to all Christians. It is helpful to the pastor in encouraging him to learn lament for himself and to lead his congregation in learning how to lament. It is useful to the lay-person for the same reasons. As people who are called to make disciples, all of us need to know how to help others through difficult times. And lament is a God-given, timeless means by which the hurting begin the process of healing and by which they stay connected to God through the wide range of emotions that accompany grief and pain.
Lament is not the latest pop-psychology nor is it difficult, but Vroegop’s book could challenge some of our assumptions about how we are to relate to God, especially when it comes to one of the four aspects of lament: complaint. We are told, for example in Philippians that we are not to grumble, and grumbling sure seems a close cousin to complaining. Complaint seems to go against the idea of remaining content in life. But it is the beauty of complaint wedded to trust that the Bible not only models but encourages. This book lays out this argument well.
Another disrupting aspect of lament is its open nature. While certainly lament can be done in private—and possibly even silence—it is clearly meant to be both vocal and communal. As individualism is an integral part of American culture, lament will be difficult for some to adopt. But I believe Vroegop makes a compelling case for its necessity as a vital part of the Christian’s life in community.
Dark Clouds Deep Mercy walks the reader through the process of using lament well in the Christian life. In the first section of the book Vroegop discusses the four aspects of lament: an address to God, a complaint, a request, and an expression of trust and/or praise. He demonstrates each aspect by looking at a different psalm and using personal examples. Part II looks at the book of Lamentations as a long example of lament. Part III talks about how Christians should use lament both individually and corporately.
While Vroegop certainly has pastors in mind, as he is a pastor himself, this book is written to engage all Christians and to be useful to all Christians. It is helpful to the pastor in encouraging him to learn lament for himself and to lead his congregation in learning how to lament. It is useful to the lay-person for the same reasons. As people who are called to make disciples, all of us need to know how to help others through difficult times. And lament is a God-given, timeless means by which the hurting begin the process of healing and by which they stay connected to God through the wide range of emotions that accompany grief and pain.
Lament is not the latest pop-psychology nor is it difficult, but Vroegop’s book could challenge some of our assumptions about how we are to relate to God, especially when it comes to one of the four aspects of lament: complaint. We are told, for example in Philippians that we are not to grumble, and grumbling sure seems a close cousin to complaining. Complaint seems to go against the idea of remaining content in life. But it is the beauty of complaint wedded to trust that the Bible not only models but encourages. This book lays out this argument well.
Another disrupting aspect of lament is its open nature. While certainly lament can be done in private—and possibly even silence—it is clearly meant to be both vocal and communal. As individualism is an integral part of American culture, lament will be difficult for some to adopt. But I believe Vroegop makes a compelling case for its necessity as a vital part of the Christian’s life in community.