“I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.”
-(Psalm 142:1-2)
The public and private use of the Psalms has been a long-held practice throughout the history of the church. Whether they are read aloud, in silence, or sung aloud in the congregation, the Psalms are the hymns and prayers which teach us how God desires we express our hearts in worship of Him. In the Psalms of Lament, we are given a model for making our petitions known to God, giving voice to our troubles. Of all the various psalms, about one-third are laments.
“Generally speaking, the lament is a stylized form of speech. It is a cry of distress. It is a protest or a complaint that seeks—and certainly expects—a positive outcome from God, that God deliver, that God save, that God show compassion upon the one who cries out.”[1] This definition of the psalms of lament provides great insight into the human condition. Denying psalms of lament would be to deny the heart of man, crying out to God. The more that these psalms are read and discussed, the more we see the universal understanding of crying out to God. This is something many of us have found ourselves doing from time to time, and as a pastor who has counseled many in the past, this becomes very clear.
In his article, “The psalms of lament and the transformation of sorrow,” Logan C. Jones writes “The psalms of disorientation continue to say that even though something has happened and the orientation has turned into disorientation, everything must be voiced. It all must be brought to speech. It must be said aloud. There is no value in silence, isolation, and denial…”[2] As Logan C. Jones moved from orientation to disorientation, he asserts the need for people to voice their struggles. David serves as an example of this in Psalm 13. After experiencing the success of his enemies, David is remembering the promises God had made and begins to cry out to God concerning these promises. David says,
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
-(Psalm 13:1-2)
Craig Boyles highlights this interaction, describing the intimate nature of the lament, and notes it may not pair well with current Christian theology. Boyles also writes, “Since Christian theology, and indeed postexilic OT theology, contain a deeper awareness of human sin, we may not immediately appreciate the face-to-face relationship implicit in this psalm.”[3] As I reflected on my study of the psalms, particularly those of lament, I find that many of the elements indeed do not pair well with modern theology.
As a pastor, it is important to offer the whole of Scripture to your flock. Introducing some more of the lamenting psalms could go a long way to a more robust and in some sense, honest theology. Sermons given on these imprecatory psalms could allow for proper and sound teaching regarding questioning God, crying out to Him, and seeking after Him in despair. Jones’ section regarding pastoral care impacted me greatly. One area which stood out the most was when he wrote, “A theology that has no place for lament is left only with thin, inadequate murmurings. The covenantal relationship is reduced to a mere shell, maneuvered about with smoke and mirrors rather than serious and faithful engagement.”[4] Within the covenant relationship we see promise and blessing, obedience and disobedience, fruitfulness and despair. These elements are continually present today and they should not be ignored.
What is our response?
Studying the psalms of lament should expand our concept of prayer. We should not only pray for healing or in many of the most common ways, but we should encourage one another to pray openly and honestly with God. It is important that we hold a proper understanding of the lament. Biblical lament, then, is not an opportunity to gossip or to be angry with God. Lamenting is not an excuse to grumble and to grow displeased with God. Within the framework of a biblical lament is the clear expression of trust, lamenting that the current situation is not in alignment with God’s character or purpose. Lamenting is always done with the purpose of leading us back to the Lord.
In the times where we cry out to Him and show our despair and struggles with a genuine heart, he returns to show His faithfulness has never once wavered. At the end of this, we then return to Him with praise. In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah recalls his hope in the promises of the Lord,
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.”
-(Lamentations 3:21-24)
[1] Logan C. Jones, “The Psalms of Lament and the Transformation of Sorrow,” The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling 61, no. 1 (Spring-Summer 2007): 48.
[2] Ibid. 52.
[3] Craig C. Broyles, Psalms (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series) (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 85.
[4] Logan C. Jones, “The Psalms of Lament and the Transformation of Sorrow,” 55.