Call for the Wailing Women: A Wail and Not Just a Cry
According to the dictionary, to cry is to shed tears especially as an expression of distress or pain. While crying is a part of wailing, wailing goes further. Wailing is prolonged expressions of grief and a crying out from your inner depths. “My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war” (Jeremiah 4:19). In this passage of scripture, we experience some of Jeremiah’s sentiments regarding his state of wailing. There is a pain deep within him that cannot be contained and comes rushing out him.
When it comes to wailing, the pain is great and prolonged; a whirlwind of emotions bursts out of you, characterized by prolonged high-pitched screams. Your tears are spent, and they are not enough to convey your anguish. Therefore, you wail instead of just cry.
Have you ever been watching a movie and you see the mother of a child who was the victim of a senseless murder? When she sees the body of her child laying lifeless in the street, she falls to her knees, looks up to heaven, and lets out a high-pitched scream which comes from the depths of her soul. Others nearby attempt to console her with tears of empathy running down their faces. This is where we are today. We are those mothers. Those are our children.
It’s time to wail because crying is not enough to express our grief and our tears are going unnoticed. There is a silent prayer that accompanies our wailing. It is a prayer of distress. A prayer that cannot be uttered through words because there are no words to verbalize our pain. It is a prayer that seeks understanding to the unexplainable. It is a prayer of a call to action.
While crying is usually done by oneself, wailing also comes with an invitation. An invitation to share in the pain. An invitation open to all, especially to those who have experienced pain and grief. An invitation to those seeking answers, to bear their souls without retribution. An invitation to release and unburden oneself of the silent grief that is concealed.
Whereas tears are a direct reaction to pain, wailing has additional elements. It is an invitation to freely express your grief and involve those who have compassion, a silent prayer seeking answers, and a cry out in anguish. Women of God, we have cried silently long enough. It’s time to wail!