Why Should We Lament?
Written by Tyler S. Fulcher | Old Testament
Over the last few days, I have begun preparing for the June Bible Study Challenge, which will focus on the Psalms of Lament.
I came across this quote from a famous Old Testament scholar named Walter Brueggemann:
"We should. . .be grateful for these scripts and models of prayer that stake everything on full covenantal honesty in the presence of God." (Brueggemann, Our Hearts Wait, 121).
About the author
Tyler S. Fulcher writes about the Bible, Theology, and Church History. He is a biblical scholar based in Springfield, MO. Click here to contact.
I love that phrase "full covenantal honesty" because it reminded me of a deep truth about the Psalms of Lament.
We can only share our deepest emotions with someone we trust. We need a deep relationship with someone to express our rawest emotions.
The Psalms of Lament give witness to incredibly raw emotion. Some of the language is shocking. Yet every line is directed to the God of Israel.
For some reason, the authors of these psalms feel free to express anger, sorrow, and frustration toward God. Sometimes they even blame God for allowing the situation that caused them pain to happen.
They do this because of their covenantal relationship with God.
We read about God establishing his covenant with the Israelites and their ancestors in the books of Genesis and Exodus.
A covenantal relationship puts expectations on both parties. Deuteronomy spells these out extensively.
The Israelites needed to obey God's instructions, or else they could expect punishment. But God also had to be faithful to his side of the covenant. By entering into this relationship, God obligated Himself towards the Israelites.
The Psalms of Lament are expressed within the shelter of the covenant.
The Israelites can confidently call on God to rescue them because He promised to be faithful to them.
We often remind ourselves that God owes us nothing. In the strictest sense, this is true. Salvation is a gift of grace, and God does not owe us anything. Yet, God does owe us something because He has entered into a covenant with us. He has obligated himself.
The ancient Israelites knew this, and so they appealed to it in prayer. When everything felt like it was collapsing, they used the occasion to remind God that He had promised to be merciful to them.
If you study the Psalms of Lament, you'll discover that reminding God about his obligations to us has nothing to do with the quality of God's memory.
He is not a god who forgets.
Instead, the act of lamenting towards God and reminding him of His covenant obligations transforms something within ourselves.
It calms our souls. It invites us into a space of trust.
The God who freely entered into a covenant with us, will surely keep His side of the bargain.
This realization allows us to return to praising God even before our situation improves.
Lament leads to deeper praise because it does not force us to deny reality.
Lament allows us to express our truest sense of reality and then remember that God has been faithful before and will be faithful again.
All of this takes place within a covenantal relationship.
We do well to recapture this approach to prayer, and there is no greater resource than the 67 psalms of lament included in the Bible.
If you want to study this way of prayer in greater depth, I want to invite you to join me for the June Bible Study Challenge.
We'll be studying 3 Psalms of Lament (Pss 6, 13, and 77).
Towards the end of the month, I'll also guide you through the process of writing your own lament.
The cost is just $10, and you can sign up below.
Bible Study Challenge for June:
Psalms of Lament
Sign Up Deadline: May 31st
Start Date: June 1st
Monthly Bible Study Challenges
The Bible is a huge book, and most people struggle to study it well or consistently. I run monthly Bible Study Challenges to address both issues.
Here's what's included in each study:
