Permission to Cry Out to God
Lamentations 1:1-22
Todd Burgett
Part of Lamentations

Main Point: The heartbreak of exile can only find its hope in the promises of God.

An Honest Evaluation of Heartache:

  1. Heartache

    Reveal Answer
    (vss. 1-7)

  2. Heartache

    Reveal Answer
    (vss. 8-16)

  3. Heartache

    Reveal Answer
    (vss. 17-18)

  4. Heartache

    Reveal Answer
    (vss. 19-22)

Growth Questions

These questions are to help you apply each week’s message to your life and to help others do the same. Can being honest and vulnerable about your life be intimidating? Is it OK to struggle and have real questions? The answer to both questions is “Yes.” Growth Groups are meant to be safe places where we share our answers to the questions below in order to help people know, love & serve Jesus better, together. If you’re not in one, email Pastor David Mataya (david@redeemeraz.org), and ask about availability. If you missed this or any message, you can go to our website, iTunes, Spotify, Facebook page, or our YouTube channel to get caught up.


  1. In your Christian life, have there been times when you have felt like you are in exile here on Earth (1 Peter 1:1, 2:10-12)? If so, in what way and/or what happened that gave you that sense of exile?

  2. According to Lam 1:1-7, why is the exile and lament of the Jewish people in Lamentations, chapter one, something they had deserved (cf. Deut 28:64-68; Jeremiah 20:4, 21:10, 22:4-5, 23:5-6)? Has there been a time of heartache in your life because of sinful choices you have made?

  3. How would you summarize the measure of what was broken because of Israel’s sin according to Lam 1:8-16? Why is it good to acknowledge the reasons for heartache in your life rather than ignore them or deny them?

  4. Why is confession important in regard to the type of heartache the Jews were experiencing (Lam. 1:17-18)? Maybe you have experienced heartache but NOT as a result of your sinful choices. How might confession still be important in one’s struggles with heartache?

  5. How are verses 19 through 22 a comfort at this point? Is heartache ever without hope? Why or Why not? What hope and what actions can you take away from this study in Lamentations, chapter 1?