This past Sunday, I attended a church where the praise and worship leader said, “I want to sing this song over you.” She proceeded to sing It’s Okay by Chandler Moore.
The lyrics struck a chord in my heart as she sang. They weren’t the typical words of adoration and praise you often hear in worship music. They were raw and honest, focusing on a state of vulnerability we don’t see much in church settings nowadays.
The song starts:
I won’t pretend, I’ll say what I’m feeling. I’m overwhelmed. Emotions are raging. It’s okay to not be okay. I won’t try to hide. Love leaves room for me to say, I’m not okay. Every fear, every lie . . . I know loves leaves room for me.
As I continued listening to the song, I realized why the worship leader said she wanted to sing it over the congregation. She was letting us know that not only is it okay to feel different emotions, it’s also okay to express how you feel to God. The song repeatedly says love leaves room for us to be open with God, and the bible fully supports this.
Biblical Lament
All throughout scripture we see people practice lament—openly expressing grief and sorrow to God. In Psalm 13:1-2, David cries out to God asking, “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?”
In Jeremiah 15:18, the prophet Jeremiah asks, “Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?” Even Jesus laments over Israel’s disobedience and rejection of God in Matthew 23:37-39.
Our society is obsessed with the idea of perfection and every area of our lives being okay, i.e. all right. But God never demands us to be perfect and have it all together. It’s our imperfections—not always being alright—that make us human.
So, with everything that’s happened over the past two weeks, I want to encourage us all to be okay with the truth that we may not be okay. As Chandler Moore’s song says, you don’t have to pretend. God has left room for you to process your pain and express how you feel.
So, if your heart broke after hearing about the eight people senselessly murdered in Atlanta last week, God’s love leaves room for you.
If you’re afraid because of the rise in hate crimes toward our Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community, God’s love leaves room for you.
If you’re unsettled because of the mass shooting in Boulder, CO on March 22nd and America’s never ending debate on gun violence, God’s love leaves room for you.
If it burdens you to see armed non-white shooters apprehended without incident by police while unarmed black men and women are constantly killed by law enforcement, God’s love leaves room for you.
Anger. Fear. Confusion. Sadness. Whatever is causing you to not be okay, remember that love always leaves room for you.
Do you want to learn more about biblical lament? Check out the resources below.
Praying Through Our Pain – PSALMS: The Language of Prayer – Tim Mackie (The Bible Project)
The Spirit, Suffering, and Prayer – I Am Who I Am – Tim Mackie (The Bible Project)
Dare to Hope In God: How to Lament Well (Desiringgod.com)