Psalms of Lament

lament  /ləˈment/  noun: a passionate expression of grief and sorrow.

As we have continued to study the Psalms on Sunday mornings at church, today we hit on some of the most meaningful Psalms in my life: the Psalms of Lament.

Being able to pour out honest emotions to God is healing and hopeful.  

Sometimes that sounds a little crazy to me.  I don't exactly wear my emotions on my sleeve.  I tend to live life with a pretty even demeanor.  If you see tears leaking from my eyes, it's usually due to a fairly extreme circumstance or I'm feeling like I'm at the end of my rope.  That doesn't mean that varying emotions aren't there on a regular basis; I just tend to keep them to myself.

Sometimes that's dangerous.  Sometimes that leads to depression.  It can also lead to isolation when we struggle to be real with others, among other things.

Turning to the Psalms helps this poetry-loving writer process feelings and heartache. Reading the Psalms and praying through them connects my heart and brain and helps me refocus on Christ, but learning how to write prayers of lament has been a game changer in my prayer life.  

About a year ago I was fortunate enough to attend a Trauma Healing Institute workshop where the attendees were taught how to facilitate Bible studies to help bring healing from trauma.  In this workshop, we were working through the activities as if we were taking the class.  One of the activities was to write a prayer of lament.

The only common denominator in a lament Psalm or prayer is the complaint ("How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?" Psalm 13:2), but they can have the following seven parts:

• Address to God ("O God")
• Review of God's faithfulness in the past
• A complaint
• A confession of sin or claim of innocence
• A request for help
• God's response (often not stated)
• A vow to praise, statement of trust in God

The first time I wrote my own prayer of lament it took me a couple of minutes to start.  Where to begin? Honestly, it started out a little stilted.  However, once I allowed myself to start talking to God about what I was dealing with, the words flowed.  Quickly and at great length.

It amazed me how this little exercise changed my perspective.  It didn't change my circumstances, but it altered my thoughts about what had happened and allowed me to rest in the Lord and his greatness.

The good news is that writing a prayer or song of lament doesn't require great writing ability.  It merely requires a complaint or problem and a desire to tell God.  

Ok...be real.  We all have plenty of complaints or problems.  Pick one and give it a go.  Choose a few of the bullet points above and start writing.  

Having the Psalms as part of God's word reminds me that every one of us has joys and sorrows, and it is part of growing in our relationship with Jesus to express those in praise and worship.  

And yes, even in lamenting about the parts of life that seem so hopeless.

Praying the Bible: Psalm 103

Several years ago, my pastor introduced our congregation to the book Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney during our prayer emphasis month.  This read changed the way I pray a majority of the time.

Maybe it's not an issue for you, but I get distracted when I pray.  What Whitney teaches in his book is to take a passage of scripture and pray through it, having a conversation with the Lord as you work through the verses.  His suggestion is to start with the Psalms, but obviously it can be done throughout scripture.

While most of my prayers are verbal or said in my head, journaling my prayers is really meaningful to me.  I process when I write.  Plus I have something I can go back to down the line.  It's helpful and encouraging to read old journals from years past and to be reminded of things I have prayed for and how God worked in me through the issues I was facing. This may be something to give a try to help develop the spiritual discipline of prayer in your faith journey.  

Also, I have found that if I am praying for someone else and using this model, it can be tremendously encouraging to the person I am praying for.  In those cases, I print out the chapter with a wide right margin. Then I write out the prayer along the side of the chapter and send it to the person I'm praying for.  Written notes are so important and a dying practice.  What better way to revive it?

Below is a prayer I wrote for Psalms 103 to give you an idea of what it may look like to pray the Bible.  This was a corporate prayer shared with my church, which is why there are more "we" and "our" references than "I" or "my."

Praise the Lord, o my soul.

We praise you with all that we are,

    for all that you've done for us.

We praise you for forgiving all of our ugly sins and for healing us -- whether on earth or ultimately in heaven.

Thank you for rescuing me.

    Fill me with your love and compassion towards others.

    Give us hearts to minister to anyone who is oppressed and hurting and to tell them about         the One who redeems.

We praise you for your compassion and grace and patience with us.  May we also demonstrate to others how good, compassionate, and forgiving you are by the way we live and the words we say.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is your love for those who fear you, as far as the east is from the west, so far have you removed our transgressions from us.

Thank you, Jesus!

We praise you for knowing everything about us and loving us anyway.

When we forget that, send your Spirit to remind us of the truth.

Thank you for not leaving us here to struggle alone.  We praise you for always being with us and for saving us from the punishment we deserve when we trust in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection as our only hope for salvation.

We praise you because your kingdom knows no boundaries, for you rule over all and love every last one of us.

Praise the Lord, o my soul.

Amen.

I am so thankful for God's word and the way He speaks us to us through it.

Be blessed.