Lament

Hope + Help for Chronic Suffering with Karrie Hahn Devlin

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Karrie Hahn Devlin about her book, Limping Heavenward: Living by Faith in Comprehensive and Chronic Suffering. During the conversation, Karrie explains what distinguishes comprehensive and chronic suffering and addresses the doubts, fears, and painful questions about God that can arise when suffering persists. She discusses the role of biblical lament, the spiritual warfare sufferers face, and how the life, death, resurrection, and ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ offer enduring hope. Karrie also considers how believers can process disappointment with the church and encourages those who feel weary from a long season of suffering to keep limping heavenward in faith.
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2 weeks ago

Encouraging Women to Pour Out Their Hearts to God

If you minister to women, you may find them seeking guidance on how to change their thinking, or what they can do to “feel better” when they’re anxious, angry, or afflicted in heart. While Scripture teaches how God produces Christlike change, we need to remember—and teach the women we care for—that sanctification is not a self-help program but a lifelong process of divinely enabled change (Philippians 2:12-13). Our aim in biblical counseling is not simply to help women feel or think differently about their troubles, but to help them turn to the Lord more readily in the midst of them. One way we do this is by counseling them to pour out their hearts to God—to cry out in faith with both authenticity and reverence.
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2 months ago

Podcast: Overcoming Discouragement with the Gospel

Cheryl Marshall welcomes Christine Chappell, biblical counselor and author, to discuss how believers can overcome discouragement by turning to the gospel, especially through the practice of biblical lament. Christine shares her personal story of grief, depression, and faith, offering practical frameworks and spiritual truths to help listeners pour out their hearts before God in seasons of struggle.
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2 months ago

When Sorrow Becomes Prayer: Understanding and Practicing Lament

What do you pray when sorrow leaves you struggling for words? Join me September 30 for a free online workshop on understanding and practicing biblical lament. Through teaching, guided reflection, and prayer practice, we’ll explore how to bring our honest anguish before God in faith—and leave time for your questions during a live Q&A.
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3 months ago

Podcast: Moving from Weeping to Worship

Cheryl Marshall welcomes Christine Chappell to explore how believers can move from weeping to worship in seasons of discouragement. Drawing from the Psalms of Lament and Christine’s forthcoming book, "Lament: Crying out in Faith," the conversation unpacks what biblical lament is, why it matters, and how it can help Christians experience genuine gladness, grow in grace, and embrace both honest sorrow and steadfast praise.
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3 months ago

When It Could Be Worse—But It’s Still Hard

How does God’s Word help us think more deeply about responding to hardship—especially when it seems “lesser” than “worse” possibilities? Are we wise to pit actual suffering against hypothetical outcomes? And does doing so help people draw near to God in their need? As we care for people in these situations, Scripture shows that we needn’t bypass reality for the sake of thanksgiving. We can help them to acknowledge what’s hard in their life without betraying gratitude for God’s grace.
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4 months ago

Video: Lament in Counseling Care

How do we walk with people through suffering without minimizing their pain or misrepresenting God? This webinar recording explores how biblical lament equips us to care well for hurting people—honestly, faithfully, and with Christ-centered hope.
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6 months ago

Counseling Through Grief and Lament: TGC Online Cohort

This cohort seeks to empower ministry leaders, counselors, and friends in how to effectively walk along-side grieving people with tenderness and hope. Over six sessions we’ll explore a biblical theology of sorrow while learning how to use lament as a helpful prayer language and counseling tool for processing grief. We’ll not only learn what lament is, but also how it can be practically used to lead people through their sorrow. What’s more, we’ll also consider the implications of unique scenarios and contexts of grief. Featuring live teaching sessions by Mark Vroegop, Bethany Bernard, Tim Challies, Christine Chappell, and Jeremy Pierre. Runs April 15th through May 20th, 2026.
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8 months ago

What Do We Do After Lament?

Lament is a faithful response to suffering, but it is not the end of the believer’s fellowship with Christ. After we’ve poured out our hearts to God in prayer, how then do we walk forward “in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (Col. 1:10)? Even when our burdens are not immediately lifted, we can still pursue what honors Christ in our bodies and with our time. In His Word, God gives practical guidance for our next steps: wait patiently, work faithfully, and watch expectantly as we entrust ourselves to His care.
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8 months ago

FamilyLife Today Interview with Mark Vroegop and Dave & Ann Wilson

In this powerful FamilyLife Today episode, hosts Dave and Ann Wilson sit down with pastor and author Mark Vroegop and biblical counselor Christine Chappell to explore the biblical practice of lament. Discover how lament is more than just complaint – it’s a prayer language that moves you towards deeper trust in God, even in the midst of profound sorrow. Mark and Christine share insights from their own experiences and ministries, emphasizing the importance of a “theology of sorrow” and why sadness is a valid, even necessary, response to life’s brokenness.
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1 year ago

Hope + Help for Preparing for Glory with Elizabeth Turnage

What happens to us when we die? What do sickness and death say about the strength of our faith? What is anticipatory grief? And how does prayer help to prepare us for entering glory? Elizabeth Turnage addresses these questions and more in this new episode of the Hope + Help Podcast!
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2 years ago

Hope + Help for Depression with Ed Welch

In what way does Jesus welcome those who are experiencing depression? Why is it true that "faith can feel good, and faith can feel horrible"? And how does the gospel offer hope to those who fear that they'll stay stuck in the darkness? Ed Welch addresses these questions and more in this new episode of IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast!
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2 years ago

Hope + Help for Unanswered Prayer with Ste Casey

What makes unanswered prayer a "strange double sorrow" for believers? Why is it important to "fight for sight" in seasons where God seems unresponsive to our prayers? And how does Paul's testimony in 2 Corinthians 12 help us to process the fact that God is still good even when "he gives pain to those he loves"? Author, pastor, and biblical counselor Ste Casey addresses these questions and more as we discuss his book, I Prayed and Nothing Changed: What God is Up to in the Silence.
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2 years ago

11 Free Resources on Biblical Lament

Biblical lament is something I've taught, spoken, and written about a number of times, but only recently did I come to realize that I had enough lament-related resources to share in one post! On this page, you'll find a few interviews from the Hope + Help Podcast archives on the topic of lament, as well as a number of articles that will help you to think more deeply about the topic. In addition, this post features two printables—one of which is brand new.
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2 years ago

The Gift and Skill of Praise in Lament

If you don’t tend to associate groaning to God with giving Him thanks, you’re not the only one. I confess there have been times when praising the Lord was nowhere near the top of my mind in my sorrow. But over the years, the Spirit has helped me to better understand these two contrasting ways of addressing our Heavenly Father—to see that we needn’t sacrifice praise on the altar of lament (or vice versa). Even our most desperate cries can be “couched in praise,” just as “[in] the context of praise, lament and even protest can be an important function of faith.”
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2 years ago

Hope + Help for Waiting on God with Mark Vroegop

What are biblical four principals we can apply when we find ourselves in a situation that requires us to wait? How does the gospel offer encouragement to someone who feels like their waiting is a waste of time? In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Mark Vroegop on his latest book, Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life. 
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2 years ago

Top 5 Friday: Christian Books on Grief

In this replay, I share my Top 5 Christian books on grief, discussing WHO they're for, WHY I think they're helpful, and WHEN to recommend them. Special thanks to this week's top viewers (Cynthia, Maree, & Ruth) for making the broadcast conversational. And congratulations to Cynthia, who won this week's book giveaway by engaging with the most comments during the livestream.
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6 years ago

Hope + Help for the Broken-Hearted with Mark Vroegop

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author/pastor Mark Vroegop on the topic of his new book, "Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy", learning how the God-given language of lament offers the broken-hearted hope and help for life’s sorrowful seasons. During the conversation, Pastor Mark shares his family's personal story of tragic loss, and how lament provided them—and ultimately, his church community—an outlet for their pains to be voiced while placing their trust in God. We talk about the key components of lament, heart-attitude cautions (what lament isn't), and why today's culture has such a hard time walking alongside broken-hearted people. Pastor Mark also offers practical steps for traveling by faith through grief and sorrow, as well as encouragements on how to cling to biblical hope, even when we've lost all sense of it.
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7 years ago