REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (14) - TIMES OF LAMENT, TIMES OF REJOICING

The Psalms are the hymn book of the Bible. Full of worship and praise.

But also full of lament, crying out to God that His purposes would be fulfilled. Psalms of lament comprise the largest category of psalms, making up about one third of the entire book of Psalms - beautiful poems or hymns expressing human struggles.

Last week at our Revival Prayer night, we experienced something really special.

The couple leading worship that evening were from the Ukraine. Running for their lives and having lost everything back in their home country, they have been with us for some months now. That evening, Petruso was on bass and Nathalie sang (names changed).

As Nathalie led in worship, we moved into singing in the Spirit.

And then. The most beautiful thing happened.

Nathalie began to sing of living through pain, of trusting in the hard times. A God who is there in the most difficult of times, One to be worshipped all the time, whatever we face.

We knew what Nathalie was singing about. Together we began to get caught up in the worship – and the lament. Together we sang, together we cried out for Ukraine. Together we thanked God for His protection, His love, His providence – He will have the final say.

Such an awesome moment and one I haven’t quite experienced before, despite over 50 years as a Christian.

And then there is such rejoicing in this revival too. 

Eighteen people were baptised in water last Sunday. Young and old. Different backgrounds and different nations. Some from Sikh and Muslim families too. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one losing his voice towards the end, such was the rejoicing.