Good Grief Part 2: Learning to Lament in the Psalmsናሙና

LAMENT IN THE PSALMS

“Lament is how we endure. It’s how we trust. It’s how we wait.” Mark Vroegop

In a world full of hurt and suffering and periods of deep grief, it can be easy to get lost in our pain. All we have to do is turn on the TV or scroll through social media to see just how much pain and suffering there is around us at any given moment. Each of us has experienced something that has caused us to grieve (and if you haven’t yet, this is a good time to prepare for when you do!) The practice of lamenting doesn’t change the circumstances that cause us to grieve, but it can lead us toward trusting God in new ways. That is the beauty of suffering. If we allow ourselves to sit in our pain and bring it to God and let him transform us, something more beautiful will always emerge.

Last week we learned about Job and his story of grief and lament. He cried out to God a lot and brought his requests to the Father. Though God doesn’t give him answers about the cause of his suffering, God does remind Job that he’s in control and his plan is always better.

This week we’re going to spend time in the Psalms. The book of Psalms is known for its many lament poems and songs. Some are meant to deal with individual lament, while others focus on lament within a community. Most of these laments were written by David. He suffered and grieved a lot throughout his life. The Psalms deal with how we can respond to the suffering in our lives. They help to give words to our suffering. It’s believed that the Psalms were written to help those who sang them learn to trust the Lord. We see throughout the Psalms just how many different circumstances lead us to lament.

In Psalm 10, the author is lamenting injustice- he feels deep grief because of discrimination against the poor and those unable to defend themselves.

Ask Yourself and Journal:

-Recall a time in your life that you felt grieved by the injustice that you experienced or witnessed happening to others. How did you feel? Write out some different thoughts/emotions you may have experienced.

-What injustice do you need to lament right now?

Pause to Pray: O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice… continue your cry of lament.