Day 4: Good Mourning

Mourn: To express grief or sorrow; to grieve; to be sorrowful. Mourning may be expressed by weeping or audible sounds, or by sobs, sighs or inward silent grief.

Warm-Up:

Pray:

“God, Nehemiah mourned for days after hearing the news that was not okay from Jerusalem. In my world, mourning is connected to death. But Nehemiah wasn’t mourning that way. He was mourning the loss of a dream: God’s people worshipping God in God’s city. I have my fair share of unmet expectations too. Teach me to trust You in a new way in the next few minutes I have with You.

Round 1:

Write out Nehemiah 1:4

Round 2:

Look at your list of NOT OKAY things from Day 2. What on this list do you need to mourn? See the definition above. Write down what you need to mourn and why. This could mean leaving a dream behind or pressing pause on a hope you have. If you don’t feel that you need to mourn anything on this list, say a short prayer for those who are.

Round 3:

Read Psalm 30 out loud. Underline, circle or highlight what stands out to you.

Burn Out:

Go outside for 10 minutes. Set a timer. Stand on your porch or go for a walk through your neighborhood. Be quiet and notice your surroundings. Depending on the time of year and where you live, you may see signs of fall—trees losing their leaves or grass going dormant. In any case, look for signs of transition. Maybe a flower fading or a puddle drying up. After 10 minutes, pray this:

“Lord, the cycle of life is all around me. Just as the flower fades and the leaves fall, so my heart mourns. Help me tap into my feelings about the things that are not okay in my life. I trust that you are working even if I can’t see it. And just as the grass will come back (and I don’t know how this happens), just as the darkness will be met by the sunrise tomorrow (this is a certainty), so too will my mourning end one day. You promise that You bring joy eventually. I trust that you are doing a work in this area of my life.”

Day 5 Heads Up:

We’ll be challenged to fast one meal on Day 5. You can choose to modify this, but fasting a meal is the goal. Your modification could be to fast social media, coffee, fast food, etc. The goal of fasting is not to make it easy, but to spark a hunger for God. Start preparing your heart and mind now!